Demonic Genesis
by TheYoungestCrazySister
Summary: Amaimon ends up in a clinic for homeless kids. There, he meets 2 girls who become his first friends. But what if things aren't what they appear? And what happens when Amai's life is put on the line? Amaimon X OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first Ao No Exorcist fanfiction, featuring my favorite character Amaimon. This is set before Rin comes in, maybe two or three years before the series start. Now, you'll probably be thinking that I want you guys to go easy on me because it's my first fic; _incorrect! _It's_ because_ it's my first that I want you to be critical. Tell me what you think, the good_ and_ the bad! Oh, FYI, the Aokigahara is an actual forest in Japan where people tend to commit suicide.**

**Anyway, enough ranting XD This is the prologue. Hope you like! **

* * *

Prologue: Aokigahara

His kingdom was dying.

Amaimon's beautiful kingdom of sky-high trees, gloriously-bright flowers, and knee-long grass was fading away little by little like pencil markings. The Earth King found a bit of comfort sitting here in Aokigahara, one of the last true green places left in Assiah, but it was like putting a lid over a sewer. All it did was hide the problem. Even if he started at the mossy roots intertwining like braids, Amaimon had that sinking feeling in his chest that no amount of candy could solve. His kingdom was wasting away, leaving his kin, the hobgoblins, nowhere to go. If they were lucky, they roamed those horrid, filthy, smelly colonies (what were they called again? Cities?) and survived in parks or gardens, but most of the time, they were killed along with their homes.

The Earth King spat his lollipop stick in disgust. Humans. He would never understand why his brothers, even Mephisto, were so ecstatic about finding pretty little female humans and impregnating them. What was so fascinating about them anyway? All they did was destroy his domain; they cut down his noble trees, trees he spent centuries raising, to make way for those hideous piles of concrete. Besides, Amaimon knew as well as anyone that most human females didn't even survive the pregnancy. Either they were killed, committed suicide, or simply didn't survive.

The suicide part was definately true. Amaimon had spent enough afternoons here to see women not much older than his host (17, 18, 19 at the very oldest) come here and kill themselves in the most painless ways possible. And even if he _wasn't_ present, the trees still told him. It wasn't really out of gossip or concern; they merely disliked their trunks and roots being stained crimson.

Amaimon sighed and popped a chocolate in his mouth. Even sugar couldn't wash away the bitter feeling in his mouth. In fact, he doubted _anything_ could make him feel better. All he knew for sure was that if he saw one more person invade his territory, he was going to snap. Mephisto might send him back to Gehenna, but Amaimon didn't care. These humans needed to know the consequences for their actions.

"Hey, Kilubi! Look at this!"

Amaimon frowned at the male voice below. He quickly swallowed the chocolate in his mouth and looked over the edge of the branch he was sitting on. A man was stooping over the roots of his tree, "It's a Kudzu!"  
"A what?" A woman asked, not even bothering to look up from her Blackberry.

The man grinned at her, "A Kudzu! It's a plant found here, in Japan, and in China. It's usually used for erosion control."  
"Fascinating." The woman turned her phone off and straightened her white lab coat, "Great. We found what we were looking for: a medicine plant. Now can we _please_ get going?" She touched her full lips, "All this humidity's making my lipstick melt."

Amaimon rolled his green-blue eyes.

The man sighed. Obviously, his partner's lack of enthusiasm was raining on his parade. "Alright, Kilubi. You're the boss." He slipped off his backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out a pair of garden shears, "I'll just cut off the whole root."

**_What?_**

Amaimon shook his head furiously as his eyes widened. No. No. NO. NO! That plant was growing rarer by the decade. More and more people were cutting it off. And if that man cut off the entire root, who knows what that would do to the tree? The Earth King couldn't let it happen. As the protector of nature, he had to shield the tree.

Without thinking twice, he jumped off the branch, landing feet-first on the guy's back. "Aaagh!" The man screamed, his body slamming against the grass. Amaimon's expression remained blank as he stepped on the grass and kicked the man in the ribs. The man screamed in pain, and Amaimon heard some ribs crack. Nice.

He barely blinked, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. This is my domain. Therefore, it is under my protection." He grabbed the man by the collar like a puppy and threw him across the mud. The woman, who'd been frozen for the past ten seconds, blinked furiously and looked around desperately. She had to save her partner, obnoxious as he was. As the oddball of a green-haired boy walked towards her partner, Kilubi's eyes darted to the shears.

Barely blinking, Amaimon rolled his adversary over so they were locking eyes. The Earth King blinked thoughtfully, "I'm really wondering what punishment to carry out." He held up a black claw for the man to see, "Should I cut you up? Rip you apart?" Before the poor guy could answer, Amaimon grinned toothily and snapped his fingers, "I know!" He raised his voice, "**_RISE, MY KIN!_**"

Instantly, hobgoblins appeared. Some crawled out of the mud, others appeared out of the fog, while others hopped out of the leafy branches. When they saw their master crouch over an injured human, their faces split into starved grins. They made a beeline for the man, Amaimon stepping out of the way. The hobgoblins swarmed all over him like locust. Kilubi carefully picked up the shears as her partner screamed in pain, "AAGH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Within seconds, his terrified shrieks of agony turned to wet gurgles.

Amaimon grinned.

Kilubi swung the shears across the back of Amaimon's head. It hit his skull with an ugly **_TH-WACK!_**

****Amaimon's vision went black. His green-blue eyes rolled back as he fell to his side, unconscious.

Kilubi stood there panting with the shears still in her hand. She glanced at her partner. Where he once lay was now a perfectly-white skeleton and torn, crimson-stained clothes in reddish-brown muck. Kilubi fought back bile and flipped some dark blonde hair from her eyes and plucked out her cellphone. Her eyes glued to the unconscious boy, she dialled in a number and said, "Sir? It's Maru Kilubi. I'm sorry to say that Tang is dead." She winced and held the phone an inch from her ear. Then, after a minute, she put it back to her ear, "Yes, yes sir. I know, it's horrible. He was an invaluable doctor. But listen, it's not completely lost." She paused as the person on the recieving end spoke. She grinned, "I found a boy. I think he's one of them." She paused again as the person spoke. "Well, because he was able to summon hobgoblins." Another pause, then a nod, "Okay, I'll bring him back to headquarters."

With that, she hung up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Better Times Clinic

Mephisto Phele's Office, True Cross Academy

Mephisto sighed and looked up from his manga. His white-and-pink clock read: six-thirty p.m. Amaimon was two hours late...again. This wasn't the first time the Earth King was late; if he wasn't two hours late, he was two hours early, usually to annoy some of the exorcists. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Then why was something telling Mephisto that something was horribly wrong?

He fought very, very hard not to bite his nails. How ironic. He and his brother were opposites, and yet they shared something so small as a bad habit. A trait that they certainly inherited from their mother, no doubt. Not that either of them remembered; she had passed away before Amaimon could even remember her face, and Mephisto, well...he'd just forced himself to forget. When you're the principle of an academy for exorcists, your past life tends to fade in the background.

Still, apart from Satan, Amaimon was the only family Mephisto had. He actually cared for him very much, no matter how exasperatingly difficult he made things. Mephisto never showed it to the green-haired boy, of course; Amaimon would just use it as an excuse to cause even more havoc than usual. But deep down...the purple-haired demon wanted his brother safe.

He sighed again and glanced at the window his brother usually entered from, "Little brother," His forest-green eyes glinted, "Where the hell have you gone **_this_** time?"

* * *

An Unknown Location

White. So much white. White walls, white floors, and white plastic chairs.

Amaimon blinked sleepily, a tired little noise escaping his lips. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew one thing: he felt absolutely terrible. He felt like humans did when they had...what were they called? Hangovers? His head was pounding with hot, electrifying pain, and his skin prickled all over. His scalp itched and his green hair felt greasy, even though he'd just washed it two days before. His mouth felt like he'd gargled mouthwash and bleach combined. Not pleasant. To top it off, his body felt exhausted and terribly weak, like he'd just run to the North Pole on an empty stomach.

He shifted in his cold white bed, and felt a different material against his skin. Amaimon looked down and bit back a yelp of horror. He was wearing a green hospital gown. Not a vibrant, pulsing green that seemed to have a life of its own; a dull, flat, dead green. The Earth King fought back bile and swung his legs to the side. He forced himself on his feet. The world spun. Amaimon groaned and gripped his temples, forcing himself to still. After a full minute, he did. He glanced out the window and felt his eyes widen.

He was looking at a construction sight. A meadow had been there before, he was sure of it. But instead of sweet-smelling meadows, Amaimon was looking at a bare, ruined, dead chunk of land with some kind of monstrous machine digging a hole in it. Was it a grave? Because Amaimon could certainly believe that.

Tears sprang in his eyes, and his hand pressed against the glass. He should've been more careful. He'd gotten too distracted. How could he let his kingdom be reduced to **_this?_**

His ears perked up as a door opened behind him. A middle-aged man entered the room and smiled, "Hi."

Sure, he was smiling, but Amaimon couldn't help pick up the vibe that it was all one big charade. The guy said, "I'm Dr. Delaney. I run the program here at Better Times Clinic." Amaimon supressed a laugh. 'Better Times'? This was the biggest misnomer of the millenium. Either the founder had had a sick sense of humor, or he'd passed away before the 'better' part of the plan could be put in motion.

"Why am I here?" Amaimon asked in the clearest voice he could muster, "And why am I so weak?" He knew part of the reason was because his kingdom was wasting away. He drew his energy from the natural world. Without it, he was as powerless as some dim-witted human. But it had to be more than that.

Dr. Delaney chuckled, like Amaimon had just said something funny, "You're here because you need medical care. Once you're better, you're free as a bird. And you're weak because we injected a sedative in your bloodstream so you could sleep. It'll wear off, don't worry."

_Good_, Amaimon thought angrily.

Dr. Delaney smiled and held his hand to the door, "Would you like to look around?"

_Yes! A chance to get outta here!_ Amaimon had to supress a yell of joy. Keeping his face blank, he nodded. Dr. Delaney walked out first, Amaimon in close persuit. The Earth King supressed a gag. The hallway was full of teenagers, all looking sullen and gloomy. Some were getting food from the vending machines, others were talking, and others were simply staring blankly into space.

Something grass-green caught his eye. Amaimon looked in that direction, but all he saw were two girls talking quietly to each other. One girl was wearing a grass-green, loose-collared sweater that reached her waist. The Earth King felt his excitement go out the window.

"This clinic works as a shelter for kids picked up from the streets," Dr. Delaney said, "We take these kids in, give them any kind of medical care, and let them go once they're better."

"Bull. Shit." The other girl said, turning to face them. She was a muscular Japanese girl with shoulder-long spiky black hair. Some of the tips were dyed yellow, others crimson, others orange. She looked Amaimon up and down, "You're stuck here, broccoli head. You'd better get used to it."

Dr. Delaney frowned at the girl, "That's Hoshi Tanaka. She's been here for about a month, along with her friend, Yukiko." He nodded at the sweater girl. "She's just a little rough around the edges."

The Earth King didn't answer. Hoshi's words hammered in his mind, each blow harder than the next. _You're stuck here._ _You're stuck here. You're stuck here._

Amaimon bolted in the opposite direction.

Excited murmurs and shouts echoed through the hall as he yanked a door open and slid down the banister. Several male nurses ran after him, but Amaimon didn't care. He couldn't stay here.

_Aniue,_ he thought desperately, _Where the hell are you when I need you?_

He reached the end of the staircase and found a door. The Earth King could sense the wind hammering against the

opposite side, calling him. Just knowing he was almost free made him feel stronger. He actually supressed a laugh of delight. The problem? There were eight locks keeping the door closed. Amaimon sighed in exasperation and tried yanking them off with his bare hands.

Nothing. He really was weakened.

Like a...human.

"Hey!"

Amaimon turned to see two male nurses in front of him. One looked bored and tired from the run, but the other looked amused, like the great Earth King was some kind of puppy that had done a trick. It made Amaimon's insides boil. "Two choices: either you come with us, or we take you."

Amaimon's green-blue eyes narrowed.

He punched the door, wincing. The guys took a step back, their eyes wide. Amaimon allowed a tiny grin on his pale face. He may be powerless, but he could still scare mere humans. The grin vanished as soon as it'd come. He walked back up the stairs, pushing past the nurses.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Lunch

Amaimon hugged his knees in the corner, trying to fight the nausea building up in his stomach and chest. All this concrete...everything so artificial...it was amazing he'd never felt this way in Aniue's school. Then again, if Anuie can create barriers and dissolves them just as easily, he could manipulate the enviroment so Amaimon didn't puke on the expensive carpet.

Great. All he'd had to do was think of barf; now, it was coming up his throat. Amaimon slapped a hand over his mouth. He scuttled to the wastebasket and vomited to his heart's content. When his body finally cut him some slack, he groaned, wiped his mouth, and pushed the basket away. _I'm glad** I** don't have to clean this shit up_, Amaimon thought, biting his black nail. At least no one had touched his claws. Maybe Lady Luck was finally smiling on him.

Someone knocked on the door, making the Earth King roll his green-blue eyes. He was locked in; did his visitor seriously expect him to open up?

Dr. Delaney entered, a smile on his face and a root beer in his beefy hand, "Hello." Amaimon didn't reply. The doctor sighed and knelt in front of him, "I just wanted to apologize for Hoshi. She's..." He held his hands up, "She's been through a lot." Amaimon rolled his eyes again.

"I also came to see how you're feeling." Dr. Delaney said, reaching out to touch Amaimon's knee. The demon king slapped his hand away, "I'm locked up! How the fuck do you _think_ I'm feeling?" He got to his feet and folded his arms, staring out the window. Not like it was much of a view; it showed the building in front of them. Dr. Delaney shrugged and rose, "Maybe pissed off. At me?"  
Amaimon didn't answer.

Dr. Delaney hesitated, "Would you like your door unlocked?"

Amaimon heard the clash of cliches. One: never look a gift horse in the mouth. Two: if something sounds too good, it's bound to be a trick. Number two lost.

"Yes." He said, looking at the doctor over his shoulder. Dr. Delaney smiled, "Then hang out with the other kids."

He might as well have said,_ 'Go swim in a river of lava naked.' _Amaimon's facial expression didn't differ that much. Dr. Delaney spoke before Amaimon could scream 'NO'. "Look, I know they look rough, but if you spend some time with them, you'll see they're not that bad."

Amaimon really, really, **_r__eally_** didn't like the notion. But it would get him out of this room and hopefully find a way to escape. So...

* * *

He poked at the yellowish, syrupy goop sitting on his lunch tray. No way could this be pineapple. Without thinking twice, the Earth King tossed it over his shoulder. "Eww!" A voice yelled, but Amaimon didn't notice. He was about to slurp his chocolate milk when a hand yanked him by the collar.

"Gaak!" He spilled the sugary milk all over his new shirt and found himself face-to-face with an obvious bully. He had expensive and sloppy clothes, a pitbull face, and shaggy dirty-blonde. Amaimon's 'pineapple' was slithering down his chin. "You the kid who tried to make a run for it, right?"

Amaimon growled, "Let go of me."  
The boy looked amused, "Or what?"  
"Or this," Amaimon head-butted the guy. He grunted and loosened his grip on Amaimon's collar. The Earth King tried to scramble away, but the blonde guy was on him in a second. He pulled out a switchblade from his pocket, and Amaimon's eyes got wide. Normally, his wounds healed incredibly quickly, but now, he wasn't so sure.

A hand was placed on the guy's shoulder, and he froze. He and Amaimon looked at the hand's owner at the same time. It was the girl in the grass-green sweater, her face set in a mildly irritated expression. "Guy," She said firmly, "This kid threw his lunch at you and headbutted you. Carving him up like a canoe won't solve anything." Her eyes narrowed, "So stop acting like an idiot, or I'll tell Dr. Delaney that you carry weapons around."

Guy paled. Not that Amaimon understood; the doctor seemed like a pushover. What could he do to make Guy dread facing him? At the very most, he could give him a lollipop that tasted like foot.

"Fine," He let go of Amaimon, straightened out his jacket, and glared daggers at the Earth King, "You'd better watch your back."  
"And you watch your jugular." Amaimon retorted, holding one of his claws in the dim light. Guy sneered and walked back to his table.

The girl rolled her eyes and held a hand out to Amaimon. The Earth King blushed with embarresment and shook his head, "N-no." He rose on his own and brushed off his shirt. He glanced at her from under his eyelashes, "Thanks."

The girl shrugged, "No problem. Guy's always pestering the newbies. I do it all the time."  
Amaimon frowned. That was one concept he couldn't understand. "Why?" He scratched his head. The girl looked surprised, then said, "There's enough cruelty in the world without adding in more. I just try to keep it balanced out."

Amaimon didn't look up. He just nodded. The girl hesitated before saying, "Well, see ya." She walked back to her table. Hoshi spoke harshly at her, but the Earth King couldn't make out the words. Not in his current state.

He kept his gaze on the ground, but he'd gotten a look at her. About an inch shorter than him (5'6), with skin the color of milk chocolate, curly cinammon-blonde hair cut in a bobstyle, and eyes the color of Hershey's chocolate. She had what was called an 'hourglass' figure. Not exactly beautiful but somehow interesting.

Amaimon's stomach growled. _Oh, great,_ he rolled his green-blue eyes, _I think of Hershey, and now I'm hungry. Just splendid!_

He would've ranted some more, but his gaze just happened to fix on his tray.

An untouched slice of pepperoni pizza lay on the napkin.


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, I wanna thank all of you for your nice reviews! I really hope you enjoy the rest of my story! Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist. FYI: 'Cornelius' means 'horned'.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Mushrooms

"Okay, we still didn't catch your name." Dr. Delaney said that afternoon. Amaimon shifted in his plastic chair, not sure what to do. He wanted to lie. Hell, he should've prepared an alias like Aniue had! Amaimon thought furiously, trying to come up with something, _anything._

"My name is...Cornelius." He said, trying to say it as bluntly as possible. Dr. Delaney grinned, apparently pleased with himself for getting an answer. Amaimon's nails dug in his shirt sleeves, making little holes in the fabric. Dr. Delaney didn't notice and said, "One boy, Guy Bradley, said you gave him a head-butt. Now, I know you've been through a lot, Cornelius, but you can't take it out on the other kids. They've been through just as much as you have."  
Amaimon chuckled, his dark green hair falling in his eyes. He locked eyes with the doctor, "They don't..._none of you_...have_ any_ idea what I've been through."

He leaned forward, "I'm better now. So can I go?"  
Dr. Delaney sighed and shook his head, like it pained him to say what he was about to say, "Not quite. After your little outburst, I think it'd be best to run some tests."  
"Tests?" Amaimon immediately thought of the horror and science fiction manga Aniue had gotten him a couple of years back. He imagined cloning chambers, DNA samples, and syringes. Lots of syringes.

Dr. Delaney chuckled at Amaimon's expression, "Don't think we're going to go all mad scientist on you, Cornelius. We're not monsters. Our job is to make sure you're best prepared to face the world once you leave these walls."

Amaimon smirked, "Sure."  
Dr. Delaney smiled, not picking up the sarcasm in Amaimon's voice. He rose from his chair and said, "You can go now, but know that we'll be observing you throughout the day to see if you confirm our theories."  
Now, that was a little creepy. A bunch of people in white lab coats watching his every mood to see if he's as crazy and unstable? What was he? Some kind of animal they observed while it was in its little enclosed space? Amaimon felt anger bubble in his chest as he rose from his chair. "Fine." He marched out, slamming the door behind him. He heard the walls crack.

He cracked a grin. If they knew how strong he was, maybe they'd finally leave him alone.

* * *

The library wasn't much. He would've left, but apart from the bedrooms, the place was deserted. There were five bookshelves as tall as Amaimon himself, and half the books were missing essential things, like the middle of the story or the last few pages. Still, there were several games like Scrabble, checkers, and chess. There was even an old television with armchairs propped up in front of it. Amaimon found himself lying on his belly with his legs swinging up and down. With his cheek in his palm, he rearranged letters to form words in Japanese and English while glancing at the movie playing. He sighed and looked at his handiwork:

_Watashi wa jikken-yō no nezumi._

_I am a lab rat._

From the corner of his eye, Amaimon noticed the girl who'd given him her lunch. She had showered and changed into a black hoodie and dark blue jeans. She was gluing pieces of paper to a chunk of cardboard, her chocolate-brown eyes focused on her work. For some reason, Amaimon felt curious as to what she was doing. What was it? A collage?

He was about to get up and see for himself, but a red-haired girl threw a penny at Yukiko, "Bing." The short-haired girl froze in the act of cutting something out of a magazine. The redhead giggled and threw another penny, this time aiming for her head. It bounced off, but Yukiko didn't budge. Amaimon's eyes narrowed as other kids started joining in, giggling. Yukiko didn't move a muscle, but her eyes grew wide, and her grip on the glue was so tight, it was oozing out of the bottle. Amaimon could tell she was using all her willpower to keep from reacting.

"This is getting so lame." One kid said, not looking up from his book. Amaimon felt his hidden tail flicker angrily. "It's an ancient game," The redhead explained, "The throwing of pennies at the local moron."

Hoshi walked in, and her dark brown eyes widened. She got up behind the redhead and grabbed her by the shirt and hair. Amaimon watched with wide eyes as the muscular girl slammed the redhead against the wall. Hoshi looked so angry, even Amaimon didn't want to get involved.

"Would you like me to turn **_you_** into a penny?" Hoshi growled. She let go of the girl and turned to the cinammon-blonde, "Let's go, Yukiko."  
Yukiko gathered her stuff and followed Hoshi out of the room.

Amaimon sprang up and followed them several paces behind. Hoshi thumped Yukiko's temple, "Sis, we've been through this shit before. Why didn't you do something? _Anything_ would've been better than just sitting there and taking it!"  
Yukiko shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets, "Sitting there and taking it is how we got out of a lot of sticky situations."  
"Not this kind!" Hoshi wasn't yelling, but Amaimon could still hear her seven feet away. "Yuki, I know you learned the whole 'ignore them and they'll go away', but it won't work here!"  
"I just don't like fighting." Yukiko sounded so miserable, Amaimon couldn't help feel a surge of sympathy.

Hoshi sighed, "I just don't want them to get away with picking on you."

"Oh, don't worry. They won't." From her tone, Amaimon guessed she was smiling, "Tonight's dinner is mushroom omelets. I'm allergic to mushrooms, so Cook's got something else. But the mushrooms went bad two days ago."

Hoshi looked surprised, "You asked Cook?"  
"Yep," Yukiko nodded and tucked some cinammon-blonde hair behind her ear, "I always do, just in case. I don't wanna end up in the emergency room. But today, I could smell the mushrooms from the lab. It wasn't hard to figure out."  
Amaimon grinned. This was going to be good.

Hoshi chuckled and pulled Yukiko into a one-armed hug, "I sometimes forget I have a genius for a sister."  
"Just as I forget I got a badass fighter for a sis." Yukiko hugged her back.

Amaimon chuckled. He was going to have to skip dinner, but no way would he be missing out.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Warning: Long Chapter!**_

* * *

Chapter 5: Sports Day

"So, Cornelius, I hope you're prepared." Dr. Delaney said that evening. Amaimon rolled his eyes, "As ever. Now, talk."  
"Not a lot of respect for you elders, huh?" Dr. Delaney joked. The Earth King folded his arms across his chest, "Sir, if there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I don't respect _anyone_ or _anything_. Except my brother."

He froze.

"You have a brother?" Dr. Delaney's eyebrows shot up. Amaimon wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed or freaked, _Great. Now they know I have a brother. What should I do? Will they let me go now?_

"Yes." Amaimon nodded, "Maybe you know him. Goes by the name of Johann Faust V. Principle of True Cross Academy."

Dr. Delaney paled. If he was a cartoon character, he'd be holding up a sign with the word 'UH-OH' on it. Amaimon smirked and couldn't help mentally sing:_ 'Victory!'_

The doctor nodded and recomposed himself, "I see. Thank you for telling me. I'll be sure to contact your brother and tell him you're alright."  
Amaimon's hopes were immediately trampled into the dust. Aniue **hated** answering the phone, e-mail, or any form of communication. Once, he'd reached the number of 62 calls to answer. The Earth King remembered sitting on the floor petting Behemoth while Aniue answered all of them. There was a good chance Dr. Delaney's message wouldn't be answered anytime within the next couple of weeks.

Just perfect.

"Anyway," The doctor said, steering them back on topic, "We spent today examining you. And it seems you can't keep your attention on more than one thing at a time. We've come to confirm that you have ADD."  
Amaimon arched a brow, "ADD?"  
"Attention Deficit Disorder." Dr. Delaney explained, "It's a neaurological disorder characterized by inappropriate levels of inattention."

"And you think I have it." Amaimon rose, "Could you get any dumber?"

Dr. Delaney looked like he'd just been smacked in the face, "Pardon me?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Amaimon said, "My body may be weak, but my mind isn't." He turned on his heel and headed for the door, "Sorry, but I'm leaving."

"No, you're not!"

Amaimon reached for the door handle, but when he tugged at it, it wouldn't open. He growled and turned to Dr. Delaney, whose finger was pressed on a button, "I'm sorry, Cornelius. But our top scientists saw it with their own eyes. Every couple of minutes, you switched from the television to the Scrabble game. And then, you followed Hoshi and Yukiko out. That proves your short attention span."  
"No," Amaimon said bluntly, crossing his arms, "That proves my boredom and curiousity. It also proves your scientists don't know the first thing about their job."

"Cornelius," Dr. Delaney sighed dramatically, "Please don't make it harder than it has to be. Your mind refuses to accept it, but it's the truth. You need help."

Amaimon lost it. He growled and punched the wall, making a huge dent. With the lack of nature around, it was amazing he'd managed to pull it off. But with the anger pumping through his veins, the Earth King was almost as strong as before.

Dr. Delaney froze before continuing, "Tell you what: if you take our counsiling and medicines and show improvement, I give you my word that you will be free."  
"Free?" Amaimon arched a brow.

"Free." Dr. Delaney confirmed.

Amaimon hesitated, "Swear it on your left arm."  
Dr. Delaney looked surprised, but he shrugged and nodded, "Alright." He held up his left arm, "I swear on my left arm that the moment you show improvement, you will be free to go."

Amaimon nodded, "Great. I accept. What now?"

Dr. Delaney smiled, like he was happy Amaimon was submitting, "We're going on a field trip tomorrow."

Amaimon frowned, wondering if he'd misheard, "Excuse me?"

"You didn't honestly think we kept teens like you locked up day and night, do you?" Dr. Delaney smiled, like he knew something the Earth King didn't, "It's the annual Sports Day here. It's when everyone here gets split into two teams and races through a secluded area. Whoever makes it to the end first wins."

"Wins what?" Amaimon tilted his head, his green-blue eyes wide.

Dr. Delaney grinned at the Earth King's enthusiasm, "Candy, victory, and Black Dollars."

Amaimon frowned, "Black Dollars?"

Dr. Delaney frowned back, "You mean no one told you?"  
Amaimon shook his head. Dr. Delaney explained, "Black Dollars are the currency here. We thought it'd be more fun if this clinic has its own money. So you win Black Dollars on the annual Sports Day, and it is enough to last a year. With Black Dollars, you can buy food, clothes, books, and so on."

Amaimon nodded, "Very well." He was hiding how he really felt. A chance to get outside? Perfect. It'd be the best chance to break out. While everyone was playing, he'd summon Behemoth and get back to Aniue. It was ideal! All the Earth King could hope was that it was someplace like a forest or a swamp. Being in his domain made him twenty times stronger.

He was looking forward to this.

* * *

No such luck. God _damn_ it! Someone must've known, because this year, Sport's Day was in the Tottori Sand Dunes. This was probably the _last_ place he'd regain his strength. It was just flat golden land with a few dunes. There were even a couple of camels here and there.

Well, it normally was.

It was obvious the scientists were ready to make these people sweat. The dunes were doned with typical games he'd seen at True Cross Academy, like a tank with giant frogs (the kin of his half-brother Egyn, King of Water) wandering freely in the water, a very long set of monkey bars, and what looked like a dancefloor at the very end.

Amaimon gulped. Normally, he'd _rule_ this type of thing. Especially since he loved games almost as much as he loved sweets. But he felt very weak. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to go on without plants.

"Hello, everyone!" A doctor just as cheerful as Dr. Delaney said, "For those of you who are new, this is Sports Day."

"No freakin' duh." Amaimon muttered, earning him a few chuckles from others.

The doctor ignored him and continued, "Two group captains will be selected, and they will choose their teammates. Then, when I blow the whistle, you'll all make your way through these challenges. Whoever's team is left standing wins!"

'Whoever's left standing?' That didn't sound good.

"Alright. The captains are..." The doctor looked at the kids before pointing, "Guy Bradley and Hoshi Tanaka."

"Yes!" Guy grinned wickedly at Amaimon and flipped him off. The Earth King hissed but did nothing; the doctor was watching them like a hawk. "Okay, Tanaka. Bradley. Choose your teammates, and please call them by their full names."  
The two teenagers nodded and stepped forward. Hoshi went first, grinning. Amaimon wasn't surprised in the least when she said, "Yukiko Bundō."

Yukiko, who'd been reading _Naruto_, blushed and nodded, "Coming!" She tucked the manga into her bag and walked towards her 'sister'. Amaimon couldn't help stare; she was dressed in a dark green bodysuit decorated with bright green circles and lines. He felt a glimmer of joy that she was wearing the same colors as his hair. Then, he noticed something else.

Yukiko was wearing white ankle braces.

He frowned and tilted his head. What could've happened?

Guy noticed, too; that's why he chuckled (earning him a glare from Hoshi and Yukiko) and said, "Michele Guilietti." A tall, buff guy stepped forward. Yukiko paled, and Amaimon couldn't blame her. This guy was built like the Abominable Snowman. He was worth half the team.

Yukiko noticed Amaimon, and the Earth King could almost see the gears working in her brain. After a full minute, she leaned towards her 'sister' and whispered something in her ear. Hoshi looked a little doubtful, but she nodded. She called, "Cornelius...uh..."  
"Faust." Amaimon walked towards his team with a grin. Yukiko smiled and said, "Welcome to the team." The Earth King felt his cheeks warm up, "Thanks."  
Hoshi smirked.

For the next couple of minutes, Hoshi and Guy took turns picking out their teammates. Finally, the two teams were formed: six people each. Amaimon wasn't too sure how the team would do. Guy had picked all the worthy players: buff, strong guys that looked solid enough to kick ass in a second's notice.

"Okay, everyone!" The doctor held up a flag. He waved it, "GO!"

Everyone broke into a run.

The tank was first. The truck-sized frogs croaked loudly, like they could sense company. Several kids ran ahead and tried to jump on the first frogs' back. The frogs didn't like it; they croaked and opened their jaws, turning their heads. The kids screamed in pain and just barely got away alive. Amaimon felt a shudder of bloodlust wash over him as the clear blue water reddened. He gritted his sharp teeth and leaped as high as he could.

He landed on a frog's back and sprinted again before it could turn its head. He glanced over his shoulder without slowing down. Guy, three of his goons, Hoshi, and Yukiko were in close persuit. Yukiko was actually right behind him despite her ankle braces. Amaimon took a deep breath and landed on the last one's back. This one's head turned so fast, it looked like a special effect. Its beady black eyes locked with his green-blue ones.

"Huh?" He managed.

The frog opened its jaws.

"Hi-yaaah!" Yukiko shoved him from behind, sending him face-first in the warm bloody water. Amaimon shuddered and crawled out just as Yukiko landed. Her sleeve was turning red, and she was wincing, but she nodded, "Come on!"

The monkey bars were next. They weren't your average set of playground monkey bars; for starters, they were a mile long. To top it off, they weren't made of iron. They were made of wood. That's why the kids had to move quickly if they didn't want to enjoy a ten foot drop. The three heavy guys from Guy's team fell almost the second they started, leaving Guy, Yukiko, Hoshi, and Amaimon. The Earth King gulped and focused his energy on the wood.

_Please...please...just a little stronger..._

Vines formed around the monkey bars. Amaimon waited a second, his eyes wide. Nothing happened. He sighed in relief and continued the climb. Guy was right in front of him. When he reached the end first, the pitbull-faced boy grinned and pulled out his switchblade. He sliced the last three monkey bars right off. Amaimon growled and yelled a curse at him in Gehenna language, but Guy was long gone.

Amaimon bit his lip as he reached the last bar. He still had a distance as long as he was before reaching the normal-leveled ground. Biting his lip, he swung his legs and leaped.

He felt a weight slam into him. His screams echoed with Yukiko's as he landed on his stomach on the ground. Amaimon groaned as Yukiko scrambled to her feet. She tugged his arm, "Come on, Cornelius! We're almost there."  
"O-okay..." Amaimon rose wobbily to his feet before running with Yukiko to the last section: the dancefloor.

The doctor grinned at Guy, Yukiko, and Amaimon. Yukiko frowned and looked around, tucking some cinammon-blonde hair behind her ear, "Where's...?"  
"Oh, dear." The doctor pointed. Yukiko followed his finger and yelped. Hoshi was being cared for by another doctor. There were two Band-Aids on her face, and her arm was in a sling.

"Now," The doctor said, looking away from Hoshi, "This is the last section of the game." He held up a tennis ball, "Whoever's holding onto this ball by the time one minute passes will win."  
Amaimon braced himself, flexing his fingers.

"And, GO!" The doctor threw the tennis ball into the air. Guy laughed and jumped, grabbing it. He tossed it from one hand to the other, "I'm gonna win! I'm gonna win! I'm gonna..."  
Yukiko rammed into his side. Guy yelped and dropped the ball. Amaimon made a grab for it, but the tile he was standing on turned into a shadow.

Amaimon felt a shiver down his back. This had to be the work of his other half-brother, Kage. The King of Shadows. The Earth King yelped and bolted out of the way. Yukiko did a cartwheel, all the tiles after her turning to shadows. The ball lay a few feet away. Guy made a run for it, but the tile under his feet turned to a shadow. He screamed a curse as he fell down a black tunnel. A second later, the shadows swallowed him like tar.

Yukiko shared a wide-eyed look with Amaimon. Then, with a small cry of pain, she lunged for the ball. She grabbed it. Amaimon couldn't hold back. He clapped, "You go, girl!"  
Yukiko's light brown face turned the color of a tomato. She grinned and made a peace sign.

The tile under her feet turned into a shadow.

She threw the ball at Amaimon, "CORNELIUS! CATCH!"

It was like it happened in slow motion. Amaimon looked at Yukiko. Really _looked._

She looked _terrible. _Her bodysuit was stained dark red almost everywhere, and her exposed skin was black and green with bruises.

That's when it hit the Earth King. He realized why he'd even survived this far in the race when he barely had the strength to move. Yukiko had been protecting him, taking his blows for him.

He ran towards the ball, his hand stretched out.

The ball fell into another shadow tunnel while Amaimon grabbed Yukiko's hand, keeping her from falling.


	6. Chapter 6

**I watched this: .com/watch?v=bzzyytvCk38 and thought it'd be fun to put;) Please enjoy!**

**And anyone know why I chose April 22nd for Amaimon's birthday? Look it up and find out!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Flashbacks and Chocolates

"Are you _sure_ you're gonna be okay?" Yukiko asked that afternoon. Hoshi sighed in exasperation, "Yes, Yuki! I'm gonna be fine! Seriously, why're you panicking now? You've seen me a lot worse."

"Incorrect." Yukiko glanced at Hoshi's face, "You've never gotten cuts on your face before."

"I almost did that one time when we stole meat from the butcher's shop." Hoshi protested.

Yukiko thought a moment before nodding, "That's true."

Amaimon, who'd been bandaged up, eyed the sisters with interest, "Are you thieves?"

Hoshi chuckled humourlessly, "Well, when you grow up on the streets, that tends to happen." Amaimon's green-blue eyes widened. These girls were from the streets? Well yes, Dr. Delaney had said this clinic picked up strays, but he never would've guessed these two fell in that category. Amaimon had seen street kids, and they were a lot more viscious than these girls. Well, more than Yukiko, anyway.

Hoshi smirked, "Surprised?"

Amaimon ran a hand through his green hair and admitted, "Maybe a little."

Yukiko chuckled and said, "The two of us have known each other since we were nine, seven years ago. I can't tell you how hard life was for us." She hesitated and glanced at her ankle braces, "We slept in alleys and playgrounds. And we had to steal to live." She smirked, trying to lighten the atmosphere, "It always helped since Hoshi here could make a diversion."  
Hoshi's face turned as crimson as some of her hair tips, "Only when I was pissed off!"

Amaimon tilted his head, "What? What did you do?"

Hoshi grinned nervously, "You'd think I was crazy."

"I doubt it," Amaimon shifted position on the floor. He crossed his legs and rested his hands on his lap, "Talk." Hoshi smirked, "Bossy little bastard, aren't ya?"

Amaimon chuckled, "Depends on how you look at it."

Hoshi shrugged and held her hand up. Her brow furrowed, like she was remembering something unpleasant. Then, bright orange flames appeared on her fingertips. Amaimon jerked back, his eyes wide. Hoshi chuckled and clenched her fingers. The flames evaporated, "I've been able to do that since Day One."

"How?" Amaimon tilted his head. Hoshi's expression darkened slightly. He could tell this was a touchy subject. "I'm not sure." She said, "It only works when I get really angry. My mom..." She smirked, "She threw me out like a broken glass when I burned her by accident."

Amaimon's green-blue eyes widened, "When you were...nine?"

Hoshi shook her head, "Eight."

Yukiko shook her head, "I still remember the day we first met..."

* * *

_Seven Years Ago..._

_Yukiko walked through the dark alley of Tokyo, gripping her sleeve. After an ugly encounter with another street kid, she just wanted to go home. Well, if you want to call the tunnel in the playground a home._

_When she got there, though, a dark shadow blocked her path. Yukiko gulped but pulled out her breadknife, "What do you want?"_

_The figure grinned, and several orange wisps of light appeared, lighting the figure's face. Yukiko felt a shiver down her back. The figure was a Japanese girl about the same age as her, with long, shaggy black hair. The tips were moving on their own like snakes, glowing orange like glowie-sticks._

_"Isn't it obvious?" The girl grinned, "I want your spot."_

_Yukiko didn't want to fight her. Something told her she was just putting on an act. But when the girl swung the first punch, Yukiko ducked under her arm and kicked her in the back. The girl growled and lashed her hair-whips at her. Yukiko just barely got away, but one hair-whip brushed against her sleeve. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. It was hot as an ember._

_The girl laughed and said, "Like third-degree burns, princess? You've only had one-degree so far." Without another word, the whips coiled around Yukiko and lifted her off the ground. Yukiko was grateful for the heavy clothes she was wearing. Otherwise, she would've been in trouble._

_"Everyone out here's just a lying asshole. They say they wanna help, then they don't." A whip slapped Yukiko in the face; she tried not to wince._

_"I'll kill anyone and everyone, before they can betray me!" The whips came faster now. Yukiko's body screamed in pain, but she kept her face as blank as possible._

_"So get your head outta your ass and quit thinking you can keep your pretty little spot! You goddamn stupid little Barbie!" The girl slammed Yukiko on the ground. One whip let go of her and prepared to strike down._

_"**You're** the stupid one here."  
The girl froze. Yukiko slowly rose to her feet and walked towards her, the whips tightening around her every couple of seconds._

_"Just because you've had some bad experiences," Yukiko said calmly, "Just because you couldn't find someone who'd help you..." She walked closer, "You attack everyone you meet?"  
"What the hell do you know?" The girl yelled, "And stay back!"_

"I **don't** know," Yukiko said, "But I **do** know this: all you're doing is making your life unhappier!"

_The girl's eyes widened, and the rage left her face. Yukiko could see her words had sunken in. After a brief hesitation, the girl's glowing whips returned to normal black messy hair. Yukiko calmly untangled herself from the girl's hair and brushed off her sleeves._

_The girl was quiet for a minute. Then, she stuck her hand out, "Hoshi Tanaka."_

_The cinammon-blonde grinned and shook her hand, "Yukiko Bundō."_

* * *

Amaimon lay on his stomach with a grin on his face and his cheek in his palm. Hoshi scratched the back of her neck as her face reddened, "I was a bitch."  
"Really?" The Earth King said sarcastically, "I never would've guessed."

Yukiko slapped him (gently) upside the head, "Don't be mean!"  
"Okay, okay," Amaimon rubbed his head and looked at the girls. At first, he'd thought everyone here was dumb and lifeless. But now...who knew? Maybe these girls could be his...friends.

He liked the notion. He'd never had friends before, though he'd be lying if he said he didn't envy some of the True Cross Academy students when they laughed and hung out together.

Yukiko arched a brow at Amaimon, her chocolate-brown eyes twinkling, "What about you, Cornelius? What's your story?"

Amaimon froze. He had to make something up, and fast. But if these girls were going to be his friends, he couldn't just lie to them, could he? He could always bend the truth, though.

"My parents...died...when I was very small," He said. It wasn't exactly a lie; Satan lived in Hell, for crying out! And his mother...well, she_ had_ died. He gulped and said, "My eldest brother took me in. I've been living with him ever since."  
Yukiko smiled softly and lay on her bed, "You two must be very close."

Amaimon thought a moment, remembering all his memories with Aniue. In fact, the two _had_ had some good times together. Suddenly, he chuckled.

Hoshi arched a brow, "What?"  
"Nothing, nothing." Amaimon said, "Just remembering something."

Yukiko took out a Sharpie and started doodling on her ankle braces, "You can tell us if you want."

Amaimon blinked. Then, a small smile formed on his face. "Okay."

* * *

_Mephisto and Amaimon were playing a videogame in Mephisto's office. Mephisto was dressed in his favorite pink robe, while Amaimon wore his standard short-sleeved pink-and-black shirt, white vest with green strings keeping it together, yellow striped tie, knee-long pants, and ripped-up brown coat. His green arm warmers were getting dirty from all the sweets he was eating._

_"Aniue," He held up a sweet for Mephisto to see, "This tastes really good."_

_"I know, I know." Mephisto never looked away from the screen._

_The two continued to play, and Amaimon kept on snacking. "A good taste," Amaimon said, stuffing two more candies in his mouth, "Sweet things sure taste good."_

_Mephisto paused the game, "If you do not take this seriously, the controller will be confiscated!"_

Amaimon brought his thumb to his lips, "Yes. I'm sorry."

_"And clean your hands before touching my controller!" Mephisto added, pointing at his younger brother's sticky hands. Amaimon repeated, "Yes. I'm sorry."_

_Mephisto watched disapprovingly as Amaimon stuffed his face some more and looked around for a napkin. His blue-green gaze darted to Behemoth, who was sound asleep beside him. Amaimon wiped his sugary hands on his hobgoblin pet before turning his attention back to the screen, his mouth still full._

_Mephisto, still scowling, unpaused the game. The two played in silence until Mephisto started to win._

_"This does not look good." Amaimon said bluntly._

_Mephisto's virtual character 'killed' Amaimon's. The Earth King said, "You are really good." _

_The purple-haired man chuckled, "Of course! You come back after 100 years and fight against me! First, you must learn the basic combinations. Then you can..."  
"This flavor is really good!" Amaimon stuffed the pink controller in his wide mouth, his gaze focused on the screen. Mephisto took one look at his younger brother and shrieked, "That's my special Mephisto Rose Controller!"_

* * *

It was hard to tell who was laughing harder: Hoshi or Yukiko. Hoshi was lying on her back, covering her eyes with her good arm while Yukiko was sitting on the edge of the bed, gripping her stomach.

Amaimon pouted, "It's true!"  
"Sorry, Corny, sorry." Hoshi wiped her eyes, "That is just..." She chuckled again, "That is probably one of the funniest things I ever heard!"  
"Yeah," Amaimon's pale cheeks reddened, "I like sweets."  
"So do I." Yukiko grinned and held something up.

Amaimon's jaw almost fell off his face. It was a chocolate box! Saliva pooled from his lips. He reached for it, "GIMME!"  
Yukiko giggled and took the lid off. She reached in and pulled out a white chocolate with coconut shavings on it, "You want it?"  
"YES!"  
"Then answer one question."

"AWWWW!" Amaimon complained, lowering his hands.

"When's your birthday?" Yukiko asked. Hoshi rolled her dark brown eyes as Amaimon blinked in surprise, "April 22nd."

"Thanks." Yukiko tossed him the chocolate. He caught it in his mouth and moaned happily. He nodded his head happily, "Thank _you_!"

Hoshi watched her 'sister' and Amaimon, a small, playful smile growing on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Camelias and Kisses Part 1

The next day, Amaimon felt terrible. Not that he was tired; sure, he'd spent hours the day before hanging out with Hoshi and Yukiko. He and Yukiko had played a game typical of sweet lovers like them: they did a contest to see who could eat the most candy in a short amount of time. Amaimon won, of course. That didn't stop Yukiko from tackling him and playfully fighting him. Then, Hoshi had challenged him to a game of checkers. She won; Amaimon asked for a rematch, but by Rematch Number Eight, Yukiko had stepped in and called a draw. Hoshi and Amaimon had shaken hands. Then, they had spent the rest of the night watching movies like_ Frankenweenie_, _The Grudge_, and _Friday the 13th_.

All in all, he'd had a wonderful time. The most he'd had since he'd been caught.

But now, as the sunlight streamed in through the windows, Amaimon felt even worse than he had on his first day here. He felt like he'd been drained by a vampire. His limbs felt as heavy as iron. With a chain of groans, the Earth King made it to the mirror. When he looked at himself, he wanted to take the mirror and throw it out the window. His skin was so pale, he could see the blue veins underneath. He had shadows under his eyes that a panda would envy, and his eyes looked hollow.

He looked dead. He probably wasn't that far off.

"No...NO! NO NO NO!" Amaimon grabbed the mirror and threw it across the room. The shards flew across the room like silver bullets, "I can't die!"  
A shard nailed him in the chest, "Aah!"  
He yanked it out. Black demonic blood trickled down his chest.

"Splendid." Amaimon muttered, eyeing his cut. The pitch-colored blood slowly crawled back in the cut skin. Then, the skin sealed together.

Healed. It wouldn't even scar. The problem? It normally healed more quickly. That could only mean one thing: he really _was_ growing weaker.

_Knock-knock!_

Amaimon froze, "Don't come in!"

"Cornelius, it's me!"

Amaimon relaxed, "Hey, Hoshi."

A slight pause. Definately an eye-roll, "Yo. Get your ass moving now. We got gym now."

Amaimon's green-blue eyes widened, "Now?"

"Yes, now." Hoshi said sarcastically, "No, dumbass. We got breakfast now. I just came 'cause Yuki practically begged me to bring you over."

A blush formed on the Earth King's pale face, "R-really?"

"Yes, really!" Hoshi snapped, "Now come on!"

Her footsteps trailed off. Amaimon smiled slightly and put a hand on his chest. Suddenly, he wasn't as weak as he'd been a moment earlier.

* * *

Yukiko and Hoshi were the only ones at a table. Everyone else seemed to be crowded together in the three remaining tables. Amaimon felt a smile tug on his face. Hoshi was wearing a red-and-yellow striped shirt and black pants, while Yukiko was dressed in a long-sleeved, lime-green sweater and sweatpants as chocolate-brown as her eyes. Looking at his own outfit (a white T-shirt and jeans), Amaimon felt underdressed.

Yukiko laughed at something Hoshi said, but her eyes darted in his direction. Amaimon felt his stomach flip, then bit his lip. What the hell was wrong with him?

The cinammon-blonde grinned and rose, walking towards him. As she did, Amaimon realized how many of his blows she'd taken for him. Her right eye was slightly bruised, and there was a Band-Aid on her neck. Other than that, her body was covered. But the Earth King got the feeling that she'd gotten hurt far more than she was leading on. When she saw him up close, her eyes widened, "What's wrong with you?"  
Amaimon frowned, "What?"  
"You look terrible!"  
Amaimon blushed, "Aww, come on! These clothes aren't _that_ bad!"

"I don't mean the clothes!" Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes examined him from head to toe like a laser, "Look at yourself. Your skin's gotten Dracula material...and your eyes! You look like Mr. Concentration Camp of 2012. What happened?"

"Nothing." Amaimon lied, even smiling, "Just give me a bite to eat and I'll be fine."

Yukiko didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway and led him to the table. Hoshi looked up from her plate of steak, "Nice to have ya here, Cone-head."  
Amaimon stuck his tongue out at her as Yukiko handed him a bottle of maple syrup. "This works better than any coffee," She said with all the authority of a doctor, "Now drink."  
Amaimon grinned and ripped the cap off. Then, he started drinking out of it like a baby drinking milk. Hoshi grinned, "Sweet."  
"It's good." Amaimon gave her a sticky smile.

Yukiko chuckled, "It helps with nightmares, too."  
Amaimon stopped drinking for a minute and eyed his new friend, "Maple syrup helps nightmares?"  
"No, it just makes your mouth so sticky, you can't scream." Yukiko admitted.

The trio broke into chuckles as the same demented doctor from the day before blew his whistle. Everyone winced at the sound.

"Alright, everybody!" He said, "Time to get those muscles moving!"  
"We can move them in a video game!" One kid complained. A bunch of others yelled in agreement. The doctor simply blew his whistle again, making everyone wince and cover their ears.

"Come on!" He said, "You're wasting daylight!"

Hoshi sighed and exchanged a look with Amaimon, "Let the pain begin."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Camelias and Kisses Part 2

The group of 24 kids ran around the gym panting and spluttering for breath. The gym was not your average gym: it was half the size of a football field, and it only had a few windows to provide light. The morning sunlight streamed in like glowing tendrils. Every three laps, the doctor blew his whistle, indicating the kids to keep running. Not that anyone really _wanted_ to: Hoshi's face was becoming as red as some of the tips of her hair, Yukiko kept wincing due to the pressure she was adding to her ankle braces, and a bunch of other kids looked ready to die.

Amaimon was the worst of all, though. With every step, he felt his strength leave him. This and the way Yukiko had practically nursed him told the Earth King that he wouldn't go on much longer without nature. He needed a plant, a flower, a blade of grass, anything that was connected to nature. Just thinking about it made it worse, but Amaimon couldn't help it. Every couple of minutes, the image of a plant of outdoor scene sailed in his mind's eye. He wished he could contact Aniue or his demonic half-brothers, but to do that, he needed strength that he didn't have. He also needed a knife, but the chance of him getting one was slim as a stalk of barley.

Finally, his body reached its limit.

Amaimon's sight went black. He felt himself stop and vomit something rustic-smelling. What was it? Blood? He heard Yukiko yelling, and felt her grab him just as he fell. Then, he fell victim to the blackness.

* * *

When Amaimon came to, the first thing he saw was Yukiko's cinammon-blonde hair. She was reading _Gosick _in a plastic chair right next to his white bed. She'd showered and changed into a long-sleeved purple-and-blue shirt and black jeans. Amaimon couldn't help notice how she kept her body covered up. It was warm out; she could very well wear something shorter.

Yukiko frowned slightly and looked up. Her chocolate-brown eyes met his green-blue eyes. Her face split into a huge grin, "Corny!" She practically leapt out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. Amaimon felt his face catch fire, but he smiled weakly and patted her back, "Hey."  
She pulled away and looked at him critically, like she was eyeing him through a microscope. "You spat up black stuff and passed out! A-are you okay?"  
"Me?" He chuckled and tucked some of Yukiko's hair behind her ear, "Never been better."  
Yukiko's light brown face turned neon-red. She smiled and said, "Hoshi and I cashed in. We got a little get-well-soon gift for ya."

Amaimon felt like a hammer had been slammed in between his eyes. What kind of demonic prince was he if he made two human girls spend their money on him? It should've been vice versa!  
"Oh, no," He said, "You really didn't have to."  
"But I..." Yukiko caught herself, "_We_ wanted to."

Amaimon arched a green brow.

Yukiko dipped her head under his bed and carefully pulled out a plastic bag. "It was in the gift shop," She explained, "And we figured you'd like something like this given your ahem," She smirked at his green hair, "Hairdo."  
He pouted and pretended to cover his spike in shame. Yukiko giggled and patted his bag, "Kidding, just kidding." She handed him the gift, "Here you go."

"Thank you." Amaimon said politely. He untied the knot at the top and slid the plastic down.

He gasped.

It was a camelia, potted and perfect. The plant was already as long and thick as his neck, and three soft pink flowers were blooming. Amaimon felt his strength return to him. Immediately, his exhaustion faded and his skin tingled with joy. His senses sharpened. He could see every microscopic crack in the window glass. He could smell Yukiko's hair shampoo: kiwi and jasmine. He could hear doctors talking three rooms away. All this happened in the space of one minute.

This girl had literally saved his life. Without even knowing it, she'd given him the strength that he'd desperately needed.

Yukiko smiled, "I see you like it."  
Amaimon didn't answer, and Yukiko's smile disappeared. She put a hand on his bedside, "Cornelius?"

The Earth King grabbed the sides of her face and smashed his lips over hers. Yukiko's eyes widened with horror as the green-haired boy continued to kiss her hungrily. Yukiko pushed him away and scrambled out of the chair, her eyes wide with horror. Both her hands covered her mouth. You'd think she'd just been slapped rather than kissed. Amaimon frowned at her reaction and reached out to her, "Yuki..."

Yukiko ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Amaimon let his hand drop. What on earth was this feeling? Something formed in his throat, like the time he'd stuffed an entire brownie in his mouth. His stomach felt like it was filled with rocks.

It was horrible. No, worse.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Broken Nose and A Scarred Body

Amaimon felt bad for what happened. No, worse than bad. He felt like he'd extinguished some great force, and that it would never be the same again. A small part of him couldn't believe that he, the great Earth King Amaimon, was feeling guilt in hurting a mere human. He'd hurt millions of humans. Hell, killed a good number of them, too. But he'd never hurt a human emotionally: only physically. For some reason, his action seemed worse than what he'd done in the past. From what Aniue had told him, emotional scarring took longer to heal than physical pain.

One way or another, he was apologizing. Nothing, the locked doors or the doctors, could stop him from doing so.

He picked the lock to his room easily enough; with his new-found strength and sharp claws, it was child's play. He made his way across the hall and was in front of the sisters' door minutes later. He was about to knock when the door swung open. Before he could react, a fist slammed in his face.

"Ah!" He fell on his back. Pain exploded in his nose. Numbly, he touched it; it just made him wince in pain. Black blood dropped on his white shirt and his albino-white skin. Hoshi stood over him with a snarl and her black hair curling and uncurling like snakes. "I know what yer doing here." She snarled, "And you ain't gonna get it."

"What?" Amaimon asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hoshi screamed, "Yukiko told me what you did!" She shook her head in disgust, "You piece of shit. You disgust me!"  
"I just kissed her!" Amaimon snapped, rising to his feet, "You act like I ripped her arm off!"  
"If you had any idea what she went through," Hoshi hissed, "You'd be eating your words faster than you ate my sister's chocolate."  
"What _did_ she go through?"

Hoshi scoffed, "Yeah, like I'm telling you." She glared at the Earth King, "Be happy I'm letting you get away with a broken nose. Come near her again, and I'll chop your balls off."  
"Chop my balls off." Amaimon repeated.

"And shove them down your throat." With that, Hoshi slammed the door in his face.

* * *

"Hey."  
"Hello. Is Cornelius' blood work back yet?"  
"Yeah. I'll tell you, I was shocked."  
"Why's that?"

In the closet, Yukiko shifted noisleessly. The door was only slightly ajar, so she could only see Dr. Delaney and one of the male nurses. The male nurse, Toshio, handed a vial filled with black liquid to Dr. Delaney, "Cornelius' blood is black."  
Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes widened.

Dr. Delaney tried to sniff it, then pulled back, grimacing, "Oh, Jesus."  
"Horrible, isn't it?" Toshio chuckled, "I'll tell you, the chemical properties are astounding. I've never seen anything like it. Well, I've seen some of it in our guinea pigs."

Yukiko frowned. _Guinea pigs?_ That couldn't be good.

"I know that part," Dr. Delaney, "Our test subjects only have half human blood. But this guy..." He shook his head, "If this really is Cornelius Faust's blood..."  
"Then he's not a human." Toshio filled in, "Meaning he has two demon parents instead of one."  
Yukiko's eyes widened even more. _Demon_ parents? Were these people off their rockers?

Dr. Delaney's dark eyes clouded with worry. He said, "Then it'll be twice as difficult to rehabilitate him. It's difficult enough with our guinea pigs. But," He shrugged, "We'll just have to give it a shot."  
"Of course," Toshio purred, "When should we start?"  
"Immediately." Dr. Delaney said.

Yukiko switched off her recorder. That was all the proof she needed.

* * *

Amaimon stared at himself in the mirror. Before his very eyes, his black blood boiled, reforming the broken cartilage and skin. Within seconds, his nose was good as new. He grinned. It was only thanks to Yukiko's camelia that his strength had almost completely returned. He doubted he could bring the building down, but he _would_ try to escape. The only question was...how? He didn't know the building well. He could barely find his way around. How could he return to Aniue?

There was a knock on his door. Soft and timid. That's how he knew who it was. A sliver of panic buzzed down his spine. Before he could stop himself, Amaimon fixed his hair, ripped his bloodstained shirt off, and slipped on a fresh, bright blue one. He stuffed some mints in his mouth before clearing his throat and calling, "Coming."  
He picked the lock again and opened the door.

Yukiko stood there, her chocolate-brown eyes fixed on the ground. She was wearing a bright blue dress shirt and dark blue sweatpants. Her curly cinammon-blonde hair curtained her face.

Amaimon felt his heart soften. She looked so nervous, so shy, it was impossible for him not to say, "Come in." Yukiko nodded in thanks and walked inside. She seated herself in one of the plastic chairs.

Amaimon sat in the chair next to hers, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"I just wanted to say..." Her head stooped even lower, "I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday."  
"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing." But even as he said it, Amaimon regretted it. He didn't regret kissing her. He regretted how it had resulted.

Yukiko thought a moment before nodding, "Yeah, it _did_ come as a shock."

Amaimon hesitated, "Yukiko...Hoshi said...you went through a lot. What happened?"  
Yukiko didn't answer. The Earth King could feel her mental walls going up. Definately not a safe subject.

Finally, she spoke, "I was almost raped when I was seven."  
Amaimon said nothing, but his green-blue eyes widened in horror.

Yukiko hugged her knees to her chest. "When I was seven...my parents took me here on vacation. But one night, we were returning to our hotel from dinner. A guy blocked our path and demaded our money. My dad tried to talk to him, but..." Tears filled Yukiko's eyes. She hid her face in her knees. Her voice was muffled as she continued, "The man stabbed my dad in the chest. My mom ran off, leaving me there." Her fingers tightened on her pants, "The guy grabbed me and tried to rip my clothes off. When I fought back, he used his knife."

Yukiko hesitated. Then, she rolled up the sleeve of her dress shirt. Amaimon's eyes widened. There were several long, jagged lines on the light brown flesh. Some were almost completely faded, but others...not so much.

"I kicked him in the shins and managed to get away." She hugged her knees tighter, "I never saw my mom again, though."

Amaimon didn't know what to say. No wonder she'd reacted so badly when he'd kissed her. It must've been like that horrible event being set on replay for her. She looked into his green-blue eyes with her chocolate-brown ones, "I'm sorry. I should've known you wouldn't hurt me like that." She looked away, "But I..."  
Amaimon grabbed her hand, cutting her off. Yukiko stopped and looked at him.

He smiled nervously and asked, "Friends?"  
Yukiko smiled and hugged him, making him blush furiously. She whispered in his ear, "Friends."

She pulled away and got serious, "But there's another reason I came."

She held up the recorder.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Rehabilitation

_"Then it'll be twice as difficult to rehabilitate him. It's difficult enough with our guinea pigs. But we'll just have to give it a shot."_

_"Of course. When should we start?"_

_"Immediately."_

Amaimon was sure he was going to freak out. Those doctors knew he wasn't human. They knew his blood was black. What scared him the most was the word_ 'rehabilitate'_. What were they going to do to him? And _'guinea pigs'_? Did they capture more of Satan's offspring? It didn't seem likely. If there was another child of Satan, Amaimon (as well as all the Princes of Gehenna) got a weird buzzing feeling in his pointed ears. So far, he hadn't felt it even mildly.

Hoshi twirled a black, yellow-tipped lock between her fingers, "So you think they're experimenting on kids here?"  
"I never said that," Yukiko rolled her chocolate-brown eyes, "It's not X-Men."  
Amaimon chuckled, "I love that movie."  
Hoshi rolled her dark brown eyes.

Yukiko chuckled and tucked some short curly hair behind her ear, "I can't say for sure _what_ they're doing. That's why I think it would be best if we lay low and see how things go. We should try to look for answers, too."  
Hoshi nodded and took over, "Alright. Yukiko, you hack into the computer and see what you can find. Corny and I'll distract Delaney."  
Yukiko grinned, "Aye-aye."  
Amaimon arched a brow, "You can hack into a computer?"  
"What?" Yukiko asked, offended, "You think all blondes are dumb?"  
Amaimon turned bright red, "N-no! I-I-I just..."  
"Corny," Hoshi slapped a meaty hand on Amaimon's shoulder, squeezing hard enough to bend tendons, "Better shut up on this one. Nobody's got a memory like Yuki."

Yukiko grinned devilishly, "True that."  
Amaimon felt his heart flutter. He nodded and shot the girl a thumbs-up, "One distraction coming right up!"

* * *

Hoshi's head poked out from the closet.

Then, Yukiko's.

Then, Amaimon's.

Dr. Delaney was working busily in the office. The door was slightly ajar, so the three teens could see what was going on. The doctor was typing busily, stopping every now and then to sip some coffee. At first, they were afraid he'd look up and see them. But after a solid two minutes, it was obvious he wouldn't notice if a bomb exploded.

"Guess we're not going in through the front door." Hoshi said sarcastically.

Amaimon grinned, "Leave it to me." With that, he slammed his fist against the concrete. Hoshi wanted to strangle him for making noise, but she never got the chance. The whole building shook violently, like someone had picked up the ground under it and given it a good shake.

The sisters yelped as the pyramid they'd formed crumbled. Amaimon ended up being crushed by two female humans, one of whom weighed more than a motorcycle.

Several people screamed in the other rooms, and Dr. Delaney got up. He hurried out of his office. Hoshi gasped and slammed the closet door shut, shrouding them from sight. They heard the doctor yelling and running out, closing the door behind him.

_Yes!_

Another minute passed. Then, the mini earthquake stopped.

Hoshi exhaled and flicked some black, orange-tipped hair from her eyes. When she saw Amaimon and her sister, she grinned devilishly, "I'll see if the coast is clear." Without waiting for an answer, she hurried out of the closet.

Amaimon groaned and tried to get up, but something was toppled on top of him. He shifted and rolled over, but when he saw familiar cinammon-blonde hair, his face glowed red. Yukiko was lying on top of him, her legs entangled with his. Her short, silky hair spread over him like a spiderweb, and her face was buried in his shoulder. Amaimon felt something burn in his chest.

Yukiko groaned in pain and shifted, trying to get up. Her face lifted, and realized that she was looking at a pair of familiar green-blue eyes.

Her face flushed. She yelped and scrambled off him, scuttling in the furthest corner of the closet. Yukiko panted, her chocolate-brown eyes wide with embarrassment and horror. She winced slightly and rubbed her ankle braces, "I-I-I-I'm sorry! I-I d-d-didn't m-mean to!"  
"I-it's fine." Amaimon looked away and scratched the back of his neck. He noticed her rubbing and asked, "Do they hurt?"  
Yukiko nodded slightly, "My feet are still healing, so I can't do much more than walk and stand. And I can't even walk much. Run?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Non-existant."  
Amaimon tilted his head, "How'd you hurt them?"

"Ah," Yukiko shook her head and tried to lighten the atmosphere with a smile, "Never mind. Come on! You've bought us ten minutes at most. That earth shaking?" She looked at him with genuine admiration, "That was remarkable."  
Amaimon blushed. He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him a compliment out of admiration and not fear.

It felt...good.

"Come on." Yukiko repeated, forcing herself up. She winced slightly when she put weight on her feet. Amaimon rose and held his hand up, "Wait."  
Yukiko frowned questioningly at him. The Earth King looked at her ankle braces, his expression blank. He held both hands out and said something in Gehenna language. A minute later, vines sprouted out of the tiles and coiled around Yukiko's braces. For a pleasant change, the girl didn't scream the house down. But her light brown face _did_ pale.

She shook it off and gave him a quick hug, "Thanks. Now come on, movvit!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out of the closet. Amaimon was sure his face was on fire, but he was glad that his strength was returning. And better yet, that he'd helped his...friend.

"What took you so long?" Hoshi demanded from Dr. Delaney's office. Yukiko sighed, shoved her hands in her sweatpants pockets, and walked inside, "What's the trauma?"  
"I can't get the password!" Hoshi wailed, "I've tried _'experiments'_, _'Delaney'_, even _'Delaney1'_! Nothing worked!"

Yukiko blinked. Then, she gently pushed her sister aside and kneeled down. She looked at the screen, her fingers curling her hair. Amaimon could sense her brain working at top speed. Her twirling got faster, and her brow furrowed slightly. Finally, she nodded to herself and positioned her hands on the keyboard.

Amaimon and Hoshi shared a look before leaning in.

She typed in, _'demonic genesis'_.

The desktop started to load. Hoshi whistled and patted Yukiko's back, "Way to go, Yuki! I knew you were smart, but not _this_ smart! How'd you think it up?"

"Child's play," Yukiko said, "I thought up the _demonic_ part because Dr. Delaney said that he believes that Cornelius has two 'demonic' parents instead of one. Those were his words. So that's how it came to me. I thought the _genesis_ part made sense because a genesis is the birth or formation of something." She shrugged, "Just seemed right."  
Hoshi hugged her, "You're awesome."  
Yukiko smiled and hugged her sister back, "You, too."

Amaimon smiled softly at the girls' bond. He glanced at the screen. A file popped up.

Yukiko noticed and gently pulled away from her sister's embrace. She began to read out loud:

"As the exorcists have shown us, this world is connected to Gehenna, the realm of demons. They stand in front of each other like mirrors. In Gehenna, there is nothing but death, isolation, and unpleasantries. It is believed this is why demons invade Assiah so frequently. However, a problem that has begun to arise is half-demon spawn mortal women are having."

Amaimon suddenly felt colder than he had a moment earlier.

Yukiko continued:

"These offspring usually grow up as normal humans, though they may exhibit traits that are not found in humans, such as dark red eyes, pointed ears, fangs, and tails. Studies show that the probability of these traits appearing in half-bloods are 6 out of 10."

Her voice trembled as she continued:

"However, the real problem is the powers they inherit. 9 out of 10 half-demons inherit some form of power from their demonic parent. The amount and strength of his/her power depends on the parent. For example, a child born from a mortal woman and Astaroth, King of Rot, may have the ability to turn everything within a 10-mile radius of him to rot. These offspring prove to be dangerous to humanity. That is why this organization unknown by the Japanese government was founded. Its purpose is to find such 'children' and remove the demonic genes from their DNA. It is not possible to make a half-demon completely human. However, it_ is _possible to remove a great quantity of their original power. This makes them reasonably fit to mingle with humans. The Demonic Genesis project was founded 20 years ago, and since then, less and less half-demons have appeared. It is possible that demons are not mating with humans in order to prevent this happening to their children."

"We're freaks." Hoshi said, "Fucking Frankenstein monsters."

"No, we're not." Yukiko said it quietly but firmly, "Some are half-demons, as this says. Cornelius has two demonic parents instead of one, though." She looked at him like she was afraid he'd turn to dust. Amaimon didn't know how to feel. Yukiko was smart. How much _had_ she figured out?

Hoshi glanced over her sister's shoulder and lightly nudged her, "Hey, it says something about rehabilitation."  
Yukiko nodded and scrolled down. After a minute, she started to read out loud:

"Rehabilitation works by first determining if the child really has a demonic parent. This can be found out through appearance, peculiar personality traits, and obviously, power. However, no matter who the parent is, once the half-blood knows who he/she is, his/her power doubles. That is why we do not tell the child of his/her heritage. When powers come to the surface and the demonic parent is discovered, the child is put through a series of harmless experiments in which he/she is put to sleep and has a 'gene cleanser' injected in his/her bloodstream. This 'gene cleanser' is basically holy water mixed with antibiotic, wolfsbane, liquified metals, and so on. This kills the demonic blood cells and lessens the child's power considerably. This is daily, until the demonic blood cells lessen considerably. Then, tests are run to see if the child is safe to have around normal humans or not."

Yukiko could barely read the last part:

"Those who cannot be rehabilitated are usually those whose powers worsten. According to studies, these powers are emotion-based. If more than one attempt fails, the child is terminated to prevent chaos in the future."

Amaimon was sure he would pass out right there and then. Then, he got angry. If his half-brothers' kids really _did_ wander around, and some of them _were_ terminated, he had put an end to it. He knew demons tended to 'eat and run', but he couldn't let this slide. These kids were technically his family, no matter how weak they were. He had to protect them.

"Look," Hoshi scrolled down, "There's a list of names here."  
Amaimon leaned in and read the names.

_Suzume Maku: terminated_

_Pao-Chai Chang: rehabilitated_

_Ryan Withington: rehabilitation processing_

_Ricardo Montebello: terminated_

_Claudia Kincaid: rehabilitated_

_Izumo Kamiki: rehabilitated_

_Harry Wolf: terminated_

_Alejandro Valdez: terminated_

_James Starling: rehabilitation processing_

_Beth-Anne Johanson: rehabilitation processing_

_Kurokami Takagi: rehabilitation processing_

_Cornelius Faust: rehabilitation_ processing.

There were two more names:

_Hoshi Tanaka: ?_

_Yukiko Bundō: ?_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Deathmatch

Mephisto Pheles' Office

"Mr. Faust, you never told us you had a brother." The police's voice dripped with suspicion. The purple-haired demon ignored it, "I never thought it relevent. But my younger brother has been missing for the past six days. He tends to wander off, but this time, I doubt he's run away."

"So, what? You think he's been kidnapped?"

"I doubt it," Mephisto said, "And anyway, this isn't an interrogation. All I want from you is to find him. I've already sent an exorcist to you with a photograph of my brother, along with personal information such name, age, height, and so on."

The policeman sighed on the other end of the phone, "Fine. Okay. We'll look for your brother. But this is Japan we're talking about. We're looking for a needle in a haystack."

"I _don't care_. Just find him." With that, Mephisto hung up, almost smashing the phone. He sighed and rubbed his face. He'd obviously given the police an alias, but that wasn't his initial concern. Where the hell was his brother that his senses couldn't pick him up? Normally, Mephisto could sense where Amaimon was as long as he remained within a hundred mile radius. But now...nothing. It was like he'd been wiped off the face of the earth.

Mephisto could only hope that wasn't the occasion.

Suddenly, he brightened. He'd never checked to see if Amaimon was in Gehenna. Feeling a rush of excitment wash over him, Mephisto pulled out a needle and pricked his finger. He winced slightly as a single drop of black blood splattered on his desk.

A puff of blue smoke emerged from the drop, thickening and widening until it was the size of a television screen. Mephisto waited paitently as an image appeared in the fog.

A boy around Amaimon's age was hanging upside down the brown ceiling like a bat, chattering quickly and loudly with some bugs. He, like all the Princes of Gehenna, had albino-white skin. He also had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Mephisto sighed. Of all his seven half-brothers, why did _he_ have to stay home?

"Beelzebub." He said firmly.

The blonde boy didn't even turn. He was holding a tarantula in his claw and making non-sensical noises.

"BEELZEBUB!" Mephisto shouted.

"Whoa!" The boy yelped and lost his balance, falling head-first on the floor. After a minute, he said, "Ow." He rose and brushed off his black shirt with white spiderweb designs and glanced up. When his bright blue eyes met Mephisto's forest-green ones, he grinned, "Well well well," He said, "Look who's calling after, what?" He shrugged, "A couple a' years?"  
"Humourous as always, Beelzebub." Mephisto rolled his eyes, "I need information. And please don't tell me about our brothers' latest deep, dark secrets or our father's impregnating another nature spirit. Because quite frankly, I find it repugnent."  
"Fine." Beelzebub rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "So, what can I do for ya?"

"I'm looking for Amaimon." Mephisto explained, "He's been gone for six days, and I haven't been able to even sense his presence. This means he is over a hundred miles away. Have you or any of the others seen him anywhere?"

Beelzebub paled, and his arms dropped to his sides. Demons or not, the Princes of Gehenna _did_ care for each other, no matter how little they interacted. Either Satan had injected something in their systems to care about each other to avoid them wringing each other's necks...or it had to be something else.

Beelzebub shook his head, "Nope. I haven't seen Broccoli-head in weeks. He's been spending all his time with you, remember?"  
Mephisto nodded, "Right."  
Beelzebub sighed, "I'll tell my minions to keep an eye out for him. But Mephisto, I don't guarentee it'll find him."

"...Thank you." Mephisto nodded, "Tell me if you find anything."

"Sure." Beelzebub nodded. Then, the image vanished. The smoke evaporated.

Mephsito sighed and rubbed his temples.

* * *

"Cornelius! I see you've made some improvements." Dr. Delaney said happily the next day. Amaimon leaned in his chair, "Really?"  
"Yes." Dr. Delaney held up some files, "According to the data, your ADD has decreased thanks to the exercises we gave you."

Amaimon arched a brow. Exercises? He'd forgotten all about them. He'd left them under his bed to rot. How could the data...?  
He grinned to himself. Yukiko.

"Because of this," Dr. Delaney said, "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

Amaimon hesitated. He didn't give two shits about this guy. All he wanted was to get out of here. But if doing what this doctor said increased his chances...

"Alright," He nodded, "What can I do for ya?"

Dr. Delaney grinned, "This morning, I found something on my desk." He held something up, and Amaimon shivered. It was a black strand of hair with a bright red tip.

"Hoshi and Yukiko were in here. I can tell. Those two almost never go anywhere without each other. And since this hair was on my keyboard, I get the feeling they were snooping around. Doing things they mustn't." The doctor adjusted his glasses, "Anyway, from what I've seen from observing Yukiko is two things. One, she is good at art and logic alike. And two," He chuckled, "She's physically weak."

Amaimon said nothing. He couldn't deny it. Yukiko had potential, but those ankle braces really tied her down. Not only did they limit her movement, but they were an easy target.

"So, to teach her a lesson," Dr. Delaney said, "I want you to fight her."

Now, Amaimon reacted. He jumped to his feet, "No way! I'll never do it!" He turned on his heel and started to stomp out of the office.

"It's to teach her a lesson!" Dr. Delaney whined. Amaimon whirled around, his green-blue eyes wild with rage, "You think I'd lay a finger on my friend? You're fucking crazy!" He was about to leave, but Dr. Delaney said, "If you don't fight her, Guy Bradley will!"

Amaimon stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to Dr. Delaney, who was starting to smile. "And Guy won't hold back even in the slightest." Dr. Delaney continued, "He won't show a shred of mercy. He'll beat her up very badly."

Amaimon crossed his arms, "So you're telling me, if I fight my friend, it'll teach her not to break into your office. But if Guy fights her, he'll beat her even worse."  
Dr. Delaney nodded, "That's right."

He'd have to throw the fight. It was obvious. Amaimon had to lose on purpose. That way, Yukiko would be spared, Dr. Delaney would leave her alone, and Guy wouldn't get the satisfaction of smashing her face in.

What other choice did he have?

Amaimon sighed, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Great!" Dr. Delaney grinned.

* * *

Amaimon shifted restlessly in the dark room he'd been put in. He wasn't sure where he was, exactly, except that he was still within the clinic. It smelled musky, like a place that hadn't been aired in ages. For the match, Dr. Delaney had insisted he put something special on; apparently, people had heard about it and decided to watch. Amaimon was back in the outfit he almost always wore: green arm warmers, a striped yellow tie, a short-sleeved black-and-pink shirt, and knee-long trousers.

He felt weak, too. Almost as weak as when he'd first gotten here. It was obvious no plants were anywhere near here. At least he'd be able to lose easily. The last thing he wanted to do was fight Yukiko, the girl who'd been nothing but kind to him since Day 1.

But something didn't feel right. A 16-year-old girl getting beaten up because she broke into a doctor's office along with her sister? It was abismal. Something else had to be going on. From what he, Hoshi, and Yukiko had discovered, this place's real purpose was to make half-demons safe to have around. But to do that, they needed to know who the demonic parent was.

That's what this _really_ was: an experiment to see who was his demonic parent. And who possibly was Yukiko's.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" A voice boomed through the speakers, "Thank you for coming to the weekly Deathmatch!"

Amaimon could hear the capital letters as the voice continued, "As you all know, Deathmatch is a game in which two kids from this very clinic face each other in a duel to the death with no time limit. Today's pair is a boy and a girl who, at first glance, appear to belong more on a date than in our arena!"

Amaimon's pale face blushed bright red.

"Now, here are the Deathmatch contestants!"

Amaimon's door swung open. The sudden light made his green-blue eyes burn, but the Earth King walked into the brightly-lit arena nevertheless. "Our 17-year-old newcomer, Cornelius!"  
A door right in front of him opened. "And the girl who moves at the speed of sound, Yukiko!"

Amaimon had to keep from staring. Yukiko was walking awkwardly, her hand holding her forearm. A typical gesture for a shy-natured person. Her cinammon-blonde hair was held back from her face with a bright green dragonfly clip, and she wore a sleeveless, used black pantsuit. Her light brown arms were zig-zagged with white scars. Some looked like they'd been stitched closed. The pansuit finished just below her knees. Every inch of exposed skin there was scarred and stitched.

Amaimon didn't even want to imagine what she'd been through.

"Yuki," He said softly, "I'm sorry."  
Yukiko gave him a sad smile, "I understand."

"Who will Lady Luck smile upon today?" The voice boomed, "And...FIGHT!"

Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes glistened with tears. With a yell, she lunged at Amaimon and punched him in the face.

"Gaak!" The demon fell on his back. He looked up just in time to see Yukiko bring her fist down. He growled, grabbed her wrist, and threw her across the arena. She slammed into the wall with a grunt. Amaimon felt anger bubble in his chest as he rose, "WHAT THE HELL?"

"I know what you want to do," Yukiko wiped her wet cheeks, "And it won't work. They can tell if someone pretends to be defeated. Then," She visibly shuddered, "It's not pretty."

"Yeah?" Amaimon asked, arching a brow, "Well, then..." He trailed off and summoned every scrap of strength in him. These people wanted a show? He'd give them a show.

He stomped his foot as hard as he could. The ground trembled and cracked like glass. Fissures opened like mouths. Yukiko bolted out of the way just as the ground under her feet opened in two.

The crowd cheered wildly, clapping and yelling.

Amaimon frowned and looked around. Indeed, just above their heads were platforms filled with chairs. People were seated, yelling and cheering like it was all just a game.

Yukiko wiped her eyes and tried to ignore the pain in her chest. She hated this. She knew there was one way to put an end to it, but she was afraid of what would happen afterward. The only person who'd ever thrown a match had ended up dead. If she did this, either her or Amaimon ended up dead.

Yep. Yukiko was sure of it now. She was looking at the Earth King. No 'half-blood' could summon earthquakes so effortlessly. For some reason, she didn't feel that angry that he'd lied to her.

All she knew was: she couldn't fight him.

Glancing at the crowd, she yelled and raced towards Amaimon. He turned just in time and bolted out of the way. Yukiko kicked at his legs, throwing his balance off. The Earth King fell and looked up to see his friend visibly crying. She looked at him and mouthed, 'Hit me'.

He stared at her.

She nodded once to show she meant business. Amaimon hesitated before getting up and hitting her in the shoulder. Yukiko cried out, and her eyes rolled back. She fell, unmoving.

"D-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWN!" The voice yelled, "YUKIKO COLLAPSES!"

Everyone started yelling and protesting. With his sharpened senses, Amaimon could make out what they were saying:

"What is this crap?"

"She's faking; she must be!"

"Yukiko's beaten GIRLS tougher than this guy!"

"We want more!"

"Let's see some blood!"

"Kill her!"

He yelled and stomped the ground again. This time, all the ground except where Yukiko lay crumbled away. That shut them up. Amaimon glared at them, "Guess what: I'm not killing anyone! I won. It's over, numbnuts!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you again for all the reviews, guys! Yer epic! If there's anything you don't understand or whatever, please ask in a review! I'll answer them in the next chapter. And btw, I got the 'claimed' idea from the Percy Jackson series. It was too cool to pass up! And an upside-down cross is a symbol of Satanism. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Claimed

"WHERE? WHERE IS SHE?" Hoshi burst through the doors, her face set in a snarl. Amaimon gulped as his muscular friend stopped in front of Dr. Delaney, "Well? Where's my sister?"  
"Hoshi," Dr. Delaney tried, "I know you're in a fragile state, but..."

"Do I _look _fragile?" Hoshi's hands were blazing with fire, and her shoulder-long hair was writhing like black snakes. Amaimon could see the tips burning like embers. Dr. Delaney looked scared, too. But he still said, "Yes. Yes you do, Hoshi. You look devastated and scared. I don't know what you think we're doing to Yukiko, but I assure you it's nothing to worry about."

Just then, from inside a room across the hall, Yukiko screamed in pain. The Earth King scrambled out of his seat and ran towards the sound. He found himself in front of a door. Growling, Amaimon tugged at the door handle. Nothing; it was like moving a mountain. From behind the door, Yukiko shrieked in pain. Amaimon looked through the keyhole, desperate to see what was happening.

Yukiko was strapped to a bed, her face set in pain. Several doctors were stitching her wounds closed, while others were injecting who-knows-what in her system.

"As you can see," Dr. Delaney said from behind the Earth King, "Yukiko got battered pretty badly in the Deathmatch. So we're fixing her back up. We're re-closing old wounds that opened and injecting her with anaesthesia to keep her from feeling pain."  
Yukiko whimpered and squirmed against the straps.  
"Oh, yeah?" Amaimon rose, "She looks pretty in pain to me."

"It takes a couple of minutes to kick in," Dr. Delaney grinned, "Anyway, thank you, Cornelius. You saved Yukiko from being beaten even worse by Guy. Now, I'm sure she's learned her lesson."

Amaimon growled. It was so animal-like, Dr. Delaney's mask cracked. The green-haired boy saw the doctor's real thoughts: _What a freak, what a creepy kid._

Hoshi growled. It wasn't as good as Amaimon's, but with her glowing hair-whips, she made up for it, "I swear, if she's in any pain by the time you're done with her..."

"She won't be." Dr. Delaney said smoothly, "My God, Hoshi. You act like I'm a monster or something. Wasn't I the one who gave Yukiko her ankle braces? Wasn't I the one who re-located your shoulder?"

Hoshi opened her mouth, then closed it. Her hair hissed and went back to normal. "I still expect her to be okay." With that, she pushed past the doctor and marched down the hall. Amaimon glanced back at Yukiko and stroked the door. Then, he trotted after Hoshi.

* * *

"That bastard...that _bastard_!" Hoshi threw darts at the dartboard, which had a photograph of Dr. Delaney taped on it. One dart hung off his nose like the weirdest booger ever. "As if Yukiko's doesn't have enough bruises already!" She yanked the darts off the board and started throwing them again, "Goddamn it, the last kid who threw a match ended up having his lungs removed!"

Amaimon looked up from his sweets catalogue, "What?"

"Yeah." Hoshi threw another dart, nailing Dr. Delaney in the forehead, "It was about two weeks ago. His names was Carl Myers. His lungs were badly damaged in a Deathmatch, so they were removed."  
Another dart nailed Dr. Delaney in his grin, "Poor bugger."

Amaimon's green-blue eyes were wide as baseballs. He ran a hand through his green hair. He was a demon, and even this seemed extreme. But one thing bugged his conscious: if losing on purpose was so horrible, why did Yukiko do it?

"Yukiko threw the match because she figured you'd do it," Hoshi threw another dart right in Dr. Delaney's throat, "She knew what would happen, and she didn't want you to go through it."

Amaimon felt like someone had hit him with a weight. He couldn't believe how selfless Yukiko had been. He'd only known her a week, and barely done anything for her, and she'd put herself in danger for him more than once. Where would he be without her?  
Amaimon realized something else. No matter how good a little brother he tried to be to Aniue, he would never be as kind as Yukiko.

"FYI," Hoshi glanced at him and brushed off her dark red shirt, "She does it for me a lot, too."

"But why?" Amaimon practically yelled. Humans were fragile enough without putting their lives on the line on a regular basis!  
"Because she barely remembers her family," Hoshi explained with a sigh, "So when she meets someone she cares about, she'll kill herself trying to keep that person safe." She shook her head and collected the darts, "It's exasperating."

Amaimon frowned as his brain connected something, "Is that why you don't have any injuries on you?"

Hoshi chuckled and looked at him, "Eat your words, Broccoli-head." She yanked her shirt up. Scars decorated her back and sides. Amaimon opened his mouth, then closed it.

Hoshi smirked and pulled her shirt back down, "It'd be a lot worse if Yukiko didn't take my blows for me all the time."

Amaimon felt a small smile grow on his face. Yukiko really was an ideal friend. But for some reason, when he thought of her, he felt a flame in his chest. What was happening to him?

The door creaked open. Hoshi and Amaimon looked up. Yukiko walked in the room, rubbing her shoulder. Her face clearly said she was exhausted and recovering from pain, but when she saw her sister and friend, she grinned tiredly, "Hey."

"Sis!" Hoshi rushed towards Yukiko and led her to her bed. Amaimon hugged his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth, "Are you okay?"  
"I've been better." Yukiko smiled, rubbing her arm. Hoshi's expression hardened, "Let me see."

Yukiko's light brown face paled, "What? No, I..."

"I said, let me see!" Hoshi made a grab for Yukiko's sleeve, but the cinammon-blonde bolted off the bed. She looked at her sister defiantely, "...No." Amaimon understood: it was that bad. Yukiko didn't want her sister to either worry or do something she'd regret later.

Hoshi's jaw tightened. Just for a second, Amaimon thought the two sisters would fight. Instead, Hoshi reached under Yukiko's bed and pulled out a backpack with the price tag still attached. Stolen, no doubt.

"Pack your things," She tossed Yukiko her bag, "We're getting out of here."

"What?" Yukiko and Amaimon said at the same time.

"I don't care if they still have to remove your ankle braces or teach me how to control myself." Hoshi's hair moved on its own as she spoke, "They put you and Cornelius against each other. And they put you in such pain that you won't even show me. That's the last straw. Now I repeat: pack your things."

"Where will we go?" Yukiko said, "This place may not be perfect, but we have food, clothes, and medication. Things we won't find on the streets."  
"We lived without those things before." Hoshi snapped, flipping some black hair out of her dark brown eyes.

Yukiko wavered, then glanced at Amaimon. Her cheeks reddened slightly, "What about Cornelius?"  
Hoshi glanced his way and shrugged, "What about him?"  
"We can't leave him here." Yukiko said, "He has a family. A brother."

Hoshi scoffed, "Sis, he's weak! He won't last a day in the streets!"

Amaimon growled, making both sisters look at him. There were two things Amaimon absolutely hated: being ignored and being classified as 'weak'. For crying out loud, he could create deadly earthquakes! And he was being accused of displaying weakness? No. He wouldn't allow it.

"Trust me on this, Hoshi." He growled, "I'm a lot stronger than I look."  
"I believe that." Yukiko whispered. Hoshi didn't pick it up, but Amaimon did. His face flushed with shame.

Hoshi sighed in exasperation and glared at the Earth King, "You know howtta fight?"  
"Absolutely."  
"Can you get food?"  
"Yep."  
"Are you fast on your feet?"  
"Yes."

The muscular girl thought a moment. Then, she nodded, "Okay."

Yukiko smiled, lighting up the entire room. She tucked her curly hair behind her ear and took over, "We should leave at night. That's when security's less tight. Corny," Yukiko's eyes twinkled at Amaimon's alias, "Can you provide a distraction? If the doctors focus on you, it'll give Hoshi and I a chance to get out the closest exit."  
Amaimon grinned, "It would be my pleasure."

Yukiko chuckled, "I'll look for an exit."

"Oh, no you don't." Hoshi got up and gently pushed her sister back on the bed, "You've had a long day, and now you're going to take a nap."  
Yukiko's jaw dropped, "But Hoshi-"

"End of chain." Before Yukiko could protest, Hoshi left the room, slamming the door behind her. Yukiko sighed and ran a hand through her curly hair. She looked at the green-haired boy and smiled, "It's an honor to finally meet you...King Amaimon."

Amaimon blushed bright red. He looked down at his claws, which were making holes in the blanket. He couldn't believe she'd found out his dirty little secret. Then again, Yukiko was smarter than she let on. It shouldn't have been difficult to piece together, especially after he caused two earthquakes in her presence. That, and how he'd gotten stronger in the presence of a potted camelia.

"I'm...sorry." He said. Now, this was a first. He never said the word 'sorry'. He usually stuck with 'apologize', but 'sorry' seemed more innocent, more genuine, and more honest. Amaimon didn't know what else to say. He couldn't say that he should've told her, because seriously, how could he say it? _Hey Yukiko, you probably haven't figured it out already, but I'm really Amaimon, the Earth King and father of all hobgoblins! Wanna still be my friend?_

Yukiko smirked, "I told you: not all blondes are stupid."

Amaimon hung his head, "You must be furious. Or angry. Maybe both."

"Maybe neither."

Amaimon felt like someone had pulled a rug from under his feet. He looked at her, "What?"

"You think you're the first demon I've ever met?" Yukiko said, "Ever since I met Hoshi, I've had a hunch that her father's your brother Iblis, King of Fire. I mean, seriously," She held her hands out, palms up, "How many people do you know can project flames from their hands and hair?"

Amaimon nodded, "That's true." He looked at her, "So we're still...?"

Yukiko wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him gently. After a minute, she pulled away, "Amaimon, I don't care what you are. You're the nicest man I've ever known." She rubbed her scars as she continued, "And Hoshi's the only family I ever had. A person's origins don't matter to me. It's how that person actually is."

"I...thank you." Again, something Amaimon didn't say often. His fingers intertwined with hers, "For everything." Yukiko was blushing bright red, but she managed a smile, "That's what friends are for, right?"

Amaimon found himself slowly smiling back, "...Right."

Hoshi's shriek made them both jump out of their skin. Amaimon and Yukiko shared a look before rushing out of the room.

Hoshi stood in the hallway, her face wide with fear. She was perfectly fine (well, aside from the scream of course), and there was nothing terrifying anywhere near her, so...?  
Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes widened. She tugged at Amaimon's sleeve, and he followed her gaze.

Floating above Hoshi's head was a burning upside-down cross.

"An upside-down crusifix..." Yukiko's face broke into a pleased grin, "My assumptions were correct."  
Amaimon had to agree on this one. This was his brother's 'claim' on Hoshi. He'd only ever seen his half-brothers do it a few times. He himself had never done it, but he knew it looked more or less like this: an upside-down cross with some tie to the demonic princes.

So it was true. Hoshi was Iblis' child.

And Amaimon's neice.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hope you enjoy! Heads-up: Amaimon is epic in this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Super Kick

The plan was set into motion after dinner.

As the trio ate salad and energy bars, they shot glances at each other. Yukiko smiled at Hoshi and Amaimon reassuringly. Amaimon grinned at Yukiko, and Hoshi just slid a half-smile their way. She was still pretty shaken about being 'claimed' by Iblis. Luckily, the doctors hadn't been around, so it stayed their own little secret.

Then, when everyone was sent to bed, Amaimon, Hoshi, and Yukiko gathered in the hall.

"Okay," Yukiko tucked some curly hair behind her ear, "Are we all ready?"  
"Hell yeah." Hoshi grinned.

"Yes." Amaimon nodded like an eager pupil.

"Alright," She held her hand out, "We meet at the least-guarded exit: the surgery room."

"Right." Amaimon's black-nailed hand and Hoshi's red-gloved one covered hers. With a, "Break!" , they split up, each going in separate corridors. Yukiko tapped her sweatpants' pocket to make sure her cellphone was still there. Hoshi did the same with her shirt pocket, and Amaimon checked his jeans' pocket.

* * *

Yukiko unwrapped the mushroom from the paper napkin. She'd narrowly stolen it from Cook while he'd tossed some salt in the salad. After years of living in the streets, swiping stuff was her area of expertise. Her pulse was hammering, and the blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy. Though she hated to make herself deliberately sick, she had no choice.

This was for their freedom.

Biting her lip, she forced the mushroom in her mouth. Ignoring the burning needles in her skin, Yukiko chewed and swallowed. Almost immediately, hives broke out all over her body. Yukiko fought the urge to scratch and rushed to the nurse's office.

There was no need to say anything. The second the tall nurse saw Yukiko, she gasped, "You ate a mushroom, didn't you?"  
Yukiko nodded, trying to look miserable. The nurse smiled sympathetically and led the cinammon-blonde to the bed, "Stay there, dearie. I'll get you some cream."  
"O-okay..." Yukiko croaked.

The nurse sighed, "Damn allergies." Then, she disappeared in the other room. Once she was alone, Yukiko exhaled in relief and eyed the clock.

A quarter past eight. They had to meet up at eight forty-five.

Yukiko squeezed her eyes shut. Please let this work.

* * *

Hoshi sighed in exasperation. Why did she have to do this? This was her favorite shirt! Then again, given the choice between her clothes and her freedom, the Japanese girl knew what would be her choice. Still...it was annoying.

She held her hand out. A ball of fire the size of a tennis ball appeared in her palm. Amazingly enough, Hoshi didn't feel anything different in her hand. Grinning, Hoshi tightened her fingers around the fire ball and hovered it over her red-and-black shirt. A second later, the front was scorched.

Hoshi sighed and closed her hand into a fist. The flames evaporated. "Yukiko, the things I do for you." She muttered, taking the scorched shirt. She folded it and tucked it under her arm. She walked out of her room, down the hall, and into Dr. Delaney's office.

When he looked up, Hoshi held up the ruined shirt, "I was trying to harness my power."  
Dr. Delaney pretended to sympathize, "Oh, you poor thing! I know how fond you are of that shirt!"  
Hoshi nodded. Unlike her sister, she actually meant it. Dr. Delaney rose and said, "Why don't you go downstairs to the shop and get yourself a new one? I'll ask Mr. Landry to keep it open a little while longer."  
Hoshi grinned, "Thanks."

After Dr. Delaney called the store owner, Hoshi displayed her Black Dollars and headed downstairs. When she reached the store, she bought a couple of shirts: some for her, some for Yukiko. Then, the store owner went to the bathroom. Hoshi grinned secretly: she'd been expecting it. The guy had the biggest intestine problems in the universe. What the dude_ wasn't_ expecting was to get locked in.

He pounded on the door, "Hoshi? Hoshi! Let me out!"  
"No can do, old man." Hoshi grinned. She swung her shopping bag over her shoulder. Then, she turned to the air conditioning vent. She pressed her palm against it. The metal softened like butter, and she easily made a hole. Hoshi crawled in the vents, looking for the right way.

* * *

Yukiko stood impaitently in the surgery room. It was already eight-fifty and neither of her allies had bothered to show up. For a minute, the cinammon-blonde wondered if something had happened. But then, something rumbled above her head. Yukiko thought fast and bolted to the left. A metal frame clattered to the floor where she'd been standing a second before.

"Woo!" Hoshi crashed in, landing on her feet. She grinned at Yukiko, "Hey, sis. Miss me?"  
Yukiko chuckled, "Always." She hugged Hoshi quickly before pulling away, "Have you seen...?"  
"Nope." Hoshi shook her head, "Sorry, but I haven't seen Romeo yet."

Yukiko turned the color of a raspberry, "I don't-"  
"Yeah, ya do." Hoshi rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't have saved his ass four times if you didn't."

Yukiko whimpered and hung her head, "Okay, I _do_ like him...a lot."

Hoshi grinned victoriously and nudged her, "Go get him, sis."  
Yukiko's mental shields went up, "We should wait another five minutes. If he's not here by then..."

The door creaked open. Dr. Delaney walked in with his eyes glued to some files in his hands, but his eyes darted from the files to the floor to the girls' sneakers. He looked up in surprise and met their eyes.

"Oh, crap." Hoshi muttered.

Dr. Delaney was clearly furious, but he tried to keep it together, "Girls? What, um, exactly are you doing here?"  
"What does it look like we're doing?" Hoshi's hair started to move, "We're escaping."

Dr. Delaney looked shocked, but the moment passed. He grinned slyly, "So you're going to run off again? After a month and a half that you've recieved luxury, you're going to sleep in alleys?"

Yukiko gritted her teeth, "We'll be fine."

"Girls, stop this nonsense and get back to your room." Dr. Delaney said firmly, the smile gone.

"No." Hoshi said bluntly.

Dr. Delaney opened his mouth to say something (possibly a threat of two-week solitary confinement), but the words never came out.

Another metal framing fell from the ceiling, nailing him in the hands. "Ah!" Dr. Delaney yelled in pain and rubbed his hands together.

Yukiko looked up to see a pointy-toed foot.

Amaimon crashed on the doctor, sending him face-first on the floor. The Earth King stood on the doctor's back, his back to his friends and his fist in the air.

"Super kick..."

Dr. Delaney tried to get up, but Amaimon kicked him in the head. He lay back down, unconscious.

"Ultra-chaos endorphin screw, Hadouken-Style Alpha-Wave Version Kick!" Amaimon turned to the girls with a huge smile on his pale face, "Broccoli-head is in the house!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Hope you enjoy! The lullaby can be found in another anime: Deadman Wonderland. The translation can be found online, I just like the Japanese version better.**

* * *

Chapter 14: Lullaby

"Come on!" Hoshi yelled over her shoulder. Amaimon grabbed Yukiko's hand and pulled her along. Even though Amaimon's Super Kick had knocked out Dr. Delaney, guards were coming. Apparently, big burly guys were paid to monitor the serveilence cameras, and the trio had been seen. Now, two guys were running after them. They didn't have guns, but that didn't make them any less terrifying.

Hoshi's dark brown eyes darted to a candy factory not too far away.

"Follow me!" She yelled.

"Like we have an alternative!" Amaimon yelled back. Hoshi flipped him off before darting in the back entrance. Amaimon and Yukiko raced in a second later. Amaimon slammed the door closed and snapped his fingers. A huge vine sprouted out of the ground and covered the entire entrance. It was like a thick green netting all over the door. Yukiko grinned tiredly, "Nice."

Amaimon blushed, "Thank you."

The door buckled. Hoshi said, "It won't keep them away forever, though." She looked around, "We gotta hide."

Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes darted to a flight of stairs. She grabbed Amaimon's hand, "This way!" The two bolted up the stairs. Hoshi smirked before following.

* * *

The night guard stood in the main entrance, yawning and fumbling with _Playboy_. He heard footsteps and blushed. He quickly tucked the magazine under his arm and straightened in posture. Two tall muscular guys rushed towards him. One said between pants, "Good evening."  
"Evening." The night guard greeted in return, "What can I do for you, boys?"

"We're looking for three runaways from a nearby clinic." The other said, "They're sixteen and seventeen years old. One's a seventeen-year-old boy. He's about five-foot-seven, with pale skin and dark green hair."  
"And a light green spike of hair on the top of his head." The first added.

The night guard chuckled, "Quite an interesting kid you got there, huh?"  
"Indeed." The first guard said with a fake laugh, "The other two are sixteen-year-old girls. One's about five-foot-six with blonde hair..."

"I believe her shade is called 'cinammon-blonde'." The other cut his partner off, earning him a murderous glare. The first one continued, "Yes, _cinammon_-blonde hair and light brown skin. The other is around the same height. She's Japanese and has shoulder-long black hair."

"With highlighted tips." The other added, "Yellow, orange, and red tips."

The night guard chuckled again, "Sounds like my kid, only hers are white. Last week, they were pink."

"Teenagers." The first one said with an eye-roll, "Those three are quite rebellious. They're always running off to buy candy and see their boyfriends and girlfriend. They mean no harm, of course."

"Sure," The night guard nodded, "If I see 'em, I'll give you a shout."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." The guard said, "We're fairly certain they're hiding in here. We'll look around for ourselves."

Yukiko's grip on Amaimon's hand tightened.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." The night guard said, "This is a privately-owned factory. You can't do around without a license."  
"But..."  
"No." The night guard said firmly, "I'll give you a call if I see 'em. Now what's your number?"

The guards sighed while Hoshi and Yukiko slapped a high-five.

* * *

An hour later, the trio was sitting on the factory roof. Hoshi managed to make a fire using her power and some wood used on the roof, and Yukiko had packed some food before the break out. Now, they were sitting under the stars feasting on potato chips, fruit, and Yukiko's candy stash. Amaimon stuffed chocolates in his mouth before turning to Yukiko, "Yuki?"  
The cinammon-blonde bit her lip to avoid laughter and said, "Yeah?"  
"What's your power?"  
Yukiko frowned, "Huh?"

"What's your power?" Amaimon repeated, "I have power over the earth, Hoshi has some control over fire, and you...?"

"I don't have one." Yukiko admitted, biting into a potato chip.

Amaimon's green-blue eyes widened, "What? But-but the clinic is really for half-demons!"  
"Yeah." Yukiko agreed, "But I don't have one. They have to keep some regular kids there, right? Otherwise, it wouldn't look as normal."

"Besides," Hoshi said, "I already told them that wherever Yukiko goes, I go."

Amaimon blinked, then smiled gently, "You really care about each other, don't you?"

"Hell yeah." Yukiko smiled, "We're a family, even though we're not related." She hesitated, "What about you?"

Amaimon stopped in the motion of putting another candy in his mouth, "Huh?"

"Yeah, Broccoli-head. We still haven't heard your story." Hoshi said. Amaimon blushed and studied his boots, "Um, I, uh..."

Hoshi grinned and rose, "I'm gonna go look at the constellations. See ya later." With that, she walked away, leaving Yukiko and Amaimon alone. Without thinking about it, the Earth King scooted closer to the cinammon blonde. She smiled softly and tucked some curly hair behind her ear, looking down.

Amaimon stared at her for a minute before feeling something gooey on his hand. He looked down to see saliva on his fingers.

Great. He was drooling. Blushing furiously, Amaimon wiped his mouth and hand before saying, "About your question..."  
Yukiko looked at him.

"My father is Satan." Amaimon said bluntly, bracing himself for the screams. But they never came. Yukiko paled, but she nodded, "Go on."  
Amaimon resisted the urge to sigh in relief and said, "My mother was an earth elemental." His eyes grew distant, "Hermia."  
Yukiko smiled, "It means 'of the earth'."  
Amaimon stared at her, then smiled, "Yeah." He hugged his knees, "She could do all the stuff I can: make fissures, sense the presence of nature, make the earth move..." He gestured with his hand, "Ect."

Yukiko's voice grew soft, "What happened?"

Amaimon sighed, "I'm not really 17. You know that, right?"

Yukiko nodded.

"Demons live a helluva lot longer than humans. As a result, we age a lot more slowly." He chuckled, "I didn't learn to talk until I was fifty."

Yukiko's jaw dropped, "I'd hate to see that baby picture."

Amaimon chuckled and continued, "Anyway, my mom governed the area that is now Tokyo." His voice dropped, "But it was more than that. Her life was tied to it. It was fine when Tokyo was a fishing village, but in the early 1900's, the place started to grow." A tear trickled down his pale cheek. Amaimon wiped it, but not before Yukiko saw it. "Over the years, my mom got weaker and weaker. Then finally," He shrugged, "Tokyo became what it is now, and my mom died."

Yukiko stared at the Earth King. It was clear he was trying hard to keep it together. "I'm so sorry, Amaimon." The Earth King shrugged again, "Hey, it's...it's no big deal. I'm doing just fine." He was lying between his teeth. It was obvious beyond belief.

Yukiko looked at him for a minute. Then, she pulled him into an embrace. Amaimon froze, his eyes wide, "What...what're you doing?"  
"Don't ask. Just hug."  
Amaimon slowly hugged her back, burying his face in her curly hair. A second later, Yukiko felt something wet on her neck.

The great Earth King was crying, his shoulders shaking. Yukiko rubbed his back and whispered a lullaby in his pointy ear,

"_Warusa baka ni no uddopekka_

_Kyou mon anake_

_Moriboro darake okotta uddo godo_

_Kuchibashi wo doku ni kaeta."  
_

Hoshi walked in with an armload of wooden planks. When she saw Amaimon and Yukiko, she smirked. But when she saw the boy's shoulders shaking, her smirk vanished. She dropped the planks and knelt beside her sister. She recognized the song and sang along, rubbing Amaimon's arm,

"_Komatta uddopekka_

_Su ana ga doku ni, gohan mo doku ni_

_Tomodachi ni furereba shinubakari_

_Kanashinda uddopekka_

_Doku no namida ga kira kira hikaru."_

Amaimon's sobs eventually subsided. He tightened his grip on Yukiko and whispered, "Th...thank you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you again for the reviews! Much appreciated!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Dispute

"Mephisto."

The purple-haired demon glanced away from his videogame and saw a wisp of blue smoke. He rose, straightened out his robe and walked towards it.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I think I may have some good news." The smoke said. It wasn't Beezlebub. This voice was...crisper. Like firecrackers. Mephisto knew who it was before the smoke thickened and adopted an image. Looking at him was a young, pale man with firey red hair that looked like it hadn't been combed since the Punic Wars and russet eyes.

Iblis, the King of Fire.

Mephisto smirked, "If this is about human pollution causing forest fires again..."  
"I assure you, that is not the case." Iblis said, his brow furrowed with concern, "I recently found another of my half-human children. Her name is Hoshi Tanaka."

"How heartwarming." Mephisto said bluntly, "But if you'll excuse me, I have more urgent matters to..."

"YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!" Iblis yelled so loudly, the image shivered and Mephisto's robe caught fire. The purple-haired demon yelped and slapped at his robe until the flames died.

Iblis smirked, "Now that I have your attention," His face went from smug to worried, "I claimed her when she made her presence evident. But I could barely sense it. Something's wrong with where she was."

Mephisto frowned, "What do you mean, 'wrong'?"

"The area made me feel..." Iblis gestured with his charred-black hands, "Suppressed. Like I couldn't even light a match in there."

"Oh-kay," Mephisto arched a brow, "Where are you going with this?"

"I saw Amaimon there."

"WHAT?" Mephisto yelled, "Where is this place?"

"Somewhere in the Kantō region." Iblis said, "I think that place...whatever it is, suppresses demons' powers. It doesn't make them non-existant, but it reduces them so demons can't use them that much. That's why you didn't sense him sooner."

Mephisto nodded, "Are they still there?"

Iblis shrugged, "I dunno."

"Gee, some help you are." Mephisto rolled his eyes. Iblis snapped, "Hey! I gave you helpful information here! Now at least you know where to look! Ungrateful swine!"

With that, the smoke dissolved. Mephisto didn't waste time; he rushed to his phone and dialled a number. He spoke firmly, "Miss Kirigakure, I need you here ASAP."

* * *

Amaimon groaned as Hoshi shook him awake, "Wake up, lovebirds."  
The Earth King frowned, "Hmm?"

_Lovebirds?_

Slowly, fearfully, he opened his green-blue eyes. He was lying behind Yukiko, his body pressed against hers like sardines. His arm was resting on her hip. The curly-haired girl was still sound asleep, thank goodness. Amaimon's face turned the color of a pepper as he bolted off the floor. Hoshi rolled her dark brown eyes, "You Sugar Daddy."

Amaimon felt raw and exposed, but he didn't let it show...much, "I am not!"

"Sure." Hoshi resisted the urge to roll her eyes a second time and gently shook Yukiko awake. The cinammon-blonde moaned softly and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She looked at her sister, "Is it morning?"  
Hoshi smiled, "Yes it is, Blondie."

Yukiko pouted, "Aww, come on, Hoshi! You know I hate that nickname."

"I think it's kinda cute." Amaimon said, then gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth.

Hoshi rolled her eyes while Yukiko looked away to hide her reddening face. The muscular girl rose and said, "Anyway, I'm gonna go get a bus ticket to..." She frowned and looked at the green-haired boy, "Where's your brother again?"

"Just outside Tokyo."

"Right. There," Hoshi turned to Yukiko and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Just," She made a _stay put_ gesture, "Stay here. And watch Corny."

Yukiko nodded, "Okay."

Amaimon's eyes narrowed. Hoshi nodded in return, kissed the top of Yukiko's head, and scuttled off the roof. Once she was out of earshot, Amaimon said, "You're really gonna let her talk to you like that?"

Yukiko frowned, "Like how?"

"You know," Amaimon said, "Like she's all that and you can't do anything."

"Now you're going overboard." Yukiko rose and brushed off her indigo sweatshirt, "It was like this even when we lived on the streets."  
Amaimon smirked and straightened his shirt, "Well,_ I'm_ going to gather some food."

Yukiko paled, "Amaimon, no. Not a good idea."

"Oh, please." Amaimon grinned toothily, "I'm the Earth King, remember?"

"But the streets aren't easy...Amaimon!" Yukiko's words fell around the green-haired boy like autumn leaves. He opened the trapdoor and went down the same way Hoshi had gone. Yukiko sighed in exasperation, "And they call the blonde the damsel in distress!"

With that, she checked to make sure her ankle braces were intact and ran after the Earth King.

* * *

"Let's see...milk, cheese sticks, energy bars, crackers, a couple of apples, and some bananas." Amaimon grinned to himself and gave the cashier the little money he'd carried around since before his capture. The cashier nodded in thanks.

The Earth King walked out of the drug store, his plastic bag swung over his shoulder like a green-haired, skinny Santa Claus. He walked back the way he'd come: through a labyrinth of dark alleys to avoid being seen.

Once he entered the third one, however, the Earth King smelled cigarette smoke. He'd been sure the smell hadn't been there before, but it sure as hell was there now. Amaimon braced himself for a fight.

"Hey." A guy of Mephisto's age stepped from the shadows. He was dressed in rags, and his face was covered in dirt. He pulled out a switchblade, "Do you know what happens to people who enter other people's territory?"

"Why, yes. Yes, I do." Amaimon grinned and displayed his claws, "Hey, did you know? People who confront me tend to end up sliced to bits."

The homeless guy looked nervous...for a minute. Then, he growled and lunged at Amaimon. The Earth King remembered Yukiko's moves on Sports Day and did a cartwheel, narrowly missing being cut. Then, he stomped the earth with his foot. A shower of dirt burst from the concrete like a geyser. The guy yelled and flew against the metal fence. When he looked up, Amaimon darted towards him, foot first. The guy rolled across the ground. Amaimon's foot slammed into the fence, making a huge dent.

The guy wondered if he should run, but no. This was his territory. He'd worked to earn it. He'd spilled blood to earn it. He wasn't going to let some green-haired punk take it from him now. Amaimon landed on his feet and brushed off his shirt.

The guy seized his chance to punch him in the face. Amaimon fell on his back with a groan. He rose and rubbed his jaw, "Nice one." His green-blue eyes glinted, "But you're gonna have to do better than that!"  
He pounded his fists against the ground. Cracks appeared, and snakes made of mud and moss sprung out of the concrete and coiled around the guy. He screamed and yelled, "Okay, okay! Uncle!"

"Uncle?" Amaimon chuckled and rose, "You think that's a fit apology for a king?" His grin widened, "Think again, motherfucker." The snakes coiled around the guy so tightly, some of his bones snapped like toothpicks. A second later, the man exploded like a balloon full of ketchup.

"John!" Another homeless person, this time a woman, raced in the alley. Her eyes widened with horror when she saw what was left of her friend, but Amaimon's green hair caught her eye.

She growled dangerously and pulled out a long, sharp blade. Without another word, she sped across the dirt and swung the knife. Amaimon yelped and just barely dodged it. This woman was better skilled than her friend, he was sure of that. The woman kicked the Earth King in the jaw, sending him head-first on the ground. When he looked up again, the tip was pointed at his throat.

"I don't know who or what you are," The woman growled, "But you won't get away with this."

She started to dig in, but a trash can lid flew across the air like a Frisbee. The knife fell out of her hand a millimeter from Amaimon's leg. The woman muttered a, 'what's this?' and turned to the direction the lid came from.

Yukiko stood there, her expression cold as stone. Another lid stood positioned in her hand, ready to strike.

"I won't let you hurt him," Yukiko said, "_Ever_." She didn't say it smugly or angrily. She said it in a factual tone, the same way she'd give someone the time.

Amaimon seized his chance. He stomped the ground with his foot again. The ground shook so violently, the woman and Yukiko fell over. The lampposts trembled, and the buildings lost some chunks of plaster. A second later, the shaking became more violent, and buildings started crumbling like crackers. Amaimon's eyes widened, "YUKIKO!"

He bolted off the ground and picked the curly-haired girl as easily as he could eat a cookie. The two were out of the chaos an instant later, but Amaimon didn't stop until they were back at the factory.

Yukiko didn't move. Neither did Amaimon. They realized how they looked (boy holding girl in his arms like in a romance novel), but they weren't ready to change position yet. They'd just barely escaped with their lives, and they needed to relax before continuing.

Eventually, Amaimon put Yukiko down. She shakily got to her feet and turned to him, "I could yell at you eight ways to Sunday, but..." Her face crumpled, and she pulled him into a hug, "I'm just glad you're alright."

The Earth King blinked, then blushed and hugged her back, "Same...here."

Yukiko smiled in his chest and pulled away, looking into his eyes, "I..."

"Yukiko Bundō!"

They turned to see Hoshi marching towards them with curled fists. Her hair was on fire now, and every couple of seconds, tiny flames appeared on her body.  
Amaimon said, "We had some problems..."  
"I heard." Hoshi grabbed Yukiko's arm and yanked her away. The muscular girl dragged Yukiko into the factory before yelling, "Did I tell you to stay put?"

"Hoshi..."

"DID I TELL YOU TO STAY PUT?"

Yukiko took a deep breath. _Someone_ had to be the mature one here. "Yes you did. But you also told me to watch Cornelius, and he ran off."

"Cornelius can take care of himself, goddamn it! If he wants to run off, let him! If he wants to jump in front of a truck, let him!" Hoshi yelled. Next to them, a vending machine caught fire. The black-haired girl gulped, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. The flames died out, as did the ones in her hair. When she looked at Yukiko again, her expression was still angry, but less murderous, "Look, Cornelius is a good friend, I'll grant you that. But guys like him come and go, Yuki. Sisters last forever."  
Yukiko took Hoshi's hand, "Hosh, I know you think that, but he helped me, too. If it weren't for him, I would've been crushed."

Hoshi nodded, but she still didn't look relaxed. Then, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Fine. Let's just...call it a day, okay? I got the bus tickets." She held up three, "We're going tomorrow at dawn, so we might as well rest."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hope you enjoy! LONG chapter ahead! It was originally supposed to be one, but I thought of splitting this long chapter in two to avoid confusion, tiredness, and so on.**

* * *

Chapter 16: At the Beginning Part 1

The train ride to Tokyo was quick, thank God. The trio woke up at dawn and rushed to the train station just as it was boarding time. They sat near a window and feasted on some food Yukiko stole along the way: sodas and granola bars. Amaimon would've preferred sweets, but it would have to do. He didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. He hated it, that helpless feeling. If this was how humans felt all the time, then he understood why his father looked down on them.

"Hey." Yukiko touched his arm gently, "Are you okay?"

Amaimon nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Yukiko smiled, "Good." She noticed the shadows under his eyes and said, "You should sleep. We have hours to go."

"But what if something happens?" Amaimon protested, "I wouldn't be able to protect you!"

"_You_ protect _me_?" Yukiko chuckled, "Wasn't I the one who saved you from becoming demonic carving practice?"

They both chuckled at that, but Amaimon ran a hand through his green hair, "I'm a lousy demon. I can't even keep myself out of trouble."  
"'Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease'." Yukiko quoted. When Amaimon stared at her, she chuckled, "Benjamin Franklin."  
Amaimon smiled, "You never cease to amaze me."

Yukiko turned the color of a strawberry. She twirled some curly hair with her fingers as he continued, "Most girls are always these whiny little chicks who need to be rescued all the time. But you," He smiled, "You know how to save yourself. And others."

Yukiko smiled, touched by his compliment, "You're not half bad, either."

Amaimon grinned and put a black-nailed on his chest, looking very pleased with himself, "I know." Yukiko smirked and playfully shoved him. He fell on his back with an 'ouf'.  
Hoshi snored softly in her pile of rags and blankets, using her backpack as a pillow. Yukiko pulled the ragged blanket over her sister's shoulders before turning back to Amaimon, who was looking at her kindly. He tilted his head and asked, "Yuki...Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure." Yukiko nodded.

Amaimon asked, "Are you Japanese? I mean, you have a Japanese name, but you're blonde."  
Yukiko smiled, though it was sad now, "My dad was Japanese. My mom was Swedish. I got a combo of hair colors from them." She stroked her hair and stared out the window. Amaimon scooted closer to her, his green-blue eyes wide. He could tell he'd hit a wound there. He put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry I brought it up."  
Yukiko laughed sadly and wiped her chocolate-brown eyes, "It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much as before."

Amaimon stared at her for a moment before yawning, covering his mouth with his hand. Yukiko laughed a little more happily and patted his spike, "Get some sleep, your Highness. I'll wake you up when we're getting closer."  
Amaimon sighed, "Fine. But only for a while."  
Yukiko rolled her eyes as he lay his head on her lap, his eyes closing. She stiffened. Bits of memory from nine years ago flashed in her mind, and she felt panic fill her gut. But then, he smiled in his sleep and rested a hand on her knee. He looked almost like a teddy bear. Well, if teddy bears were green, long, thin, and clawed.

Yukiko felt the wall of tension slowly dissolve. Inhaling shakily, she couldn't help stroke his silky hair as he slept.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Amaimon, Hoshi, and Yukiko arrived in the motel. It wasn't much, but at least it was clean. The room was the same: small, with a double bed, a bathroom, and a sofa. There was a window that overlooked Tokyo as well.

"We'll stay here for the night." Hoshi announced, "Then, tomorrow after lunch, we'll bring Cornelius to his brother."

Amaimon shook his head, "Thank you."  
Both sisters looked at him in surprise. "What for?" Hoshi asked.

"For helping me." Amaimon said, rubbing his arm, "I don't deserve it, but..."

"Yeah, ya do." Hoshi said firmly, flicking some black, gold-tipped hair from her face, "You saved Yukiko first on Sports Day, then yesterday. It's all it took for me to pay you back..." She smirked, "King Amaimon."

Yukiko rolled her chocolate-brown eyes, while Amaimon sighed. "Damn, you sisters are smart." He muttered.

Hoshi chuckled, "I've hung around Beautiful Brainiac too long." She ruffled Yukiko's cinammon-blonde hair. Yukiko chuckled and leaned in to the touch. Hoshi got serious, "Buti I'm still pissed that you lied to us."  
"Figures." Amaimon muttered.  
"Come on, sis," Yukiko chimed in, "He's the king of the Earth! It's not something you go around announcing."  
"Well-said!" Amaimon pointed to his crush, "Listen to the blonde."

Yukiko pouted.

Hoshi rolled her eyes, "I'll get over it, relax."  
Amaimon resisted a sigh of relief. The muscular girl smirked, "We'll go eat later. Hell," She wiggled her eyebrows at Yukiko, "You guys can get ready first, then go eat. I'll catch up."

Yukiko knew what Hoshi was trying to do. She was trying to put her and Amaimon together. Well, Yukiko would just have to counterattack.

"Nah," She shook her head, "We'll wait."  
_Checkmate_, she thought.

Hoshi rolled her eyes, "Fine." She linked her arm in Yukiko's before turning to Amaimon, "We won't take long, your highness."  
Amaimon blew a raspberry at her, though his green-blue eyes were smiling. Hoshi grinned back and led Yukiko in the bathroom.

The Earth King chuckled to himself and ran a hand through his green hair, "Women."

Yukiko poked her head from the bathroom, her cinammon-blonde hair filled with shampoo, "'Men are from Mars, women are from Venus'. John Gray."  
"Yuki!" Hoshi dragged her back inside and slammed the door shut.

Amaimon blinked. Then, he burst out laughing.

* * *

Amaimon officially decided that Yukiko was a genius when she pulled out fresh clothes from her backpack. She'd even bought the Earth King a lime-green shirt while he'd slept. Now, showered and changed, Amaimon decided he was the luckiest demon on the planet. He wouldn't try anything...big...but Hoshi and Yukiko looked gorgeous.

Hoshi's hair was clean now; it almost glowed even when she wasn't furious. She was wearing a red-and-black checked short over a Green Day shirt and blue jeans. Yukiko was covered up as usual, but she was still dazzling. She was dressed in a men's size black shirt with the word 'Redrum' written in sloppy blue 'Chiller' and indigo sweatpants four sizes too big. Her curly hair was tucked behind her ears.

Amaimon was washed too, and he wore the shirt Yukiko had bought him and his knee-long pants and yellow tie. But he still felt like the girls outshone him.

Yukiko blushed at his expression and took his hand nervously, "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

They went downstairs to the restaurant. It was nice enough, like the rest of the motel. The room was about thrice the size of Aniue's office, with cheap-looking chandeliers and a long table loaded with food. Judging by how everyone was forming a line, the trio guessed they had to serve themselves.

Amaimon grinned, "I'll get the food." He straightened like a butler, "Ladies, what are you craving for?"  
"A redecorator," Hoshi muttered, "But I'll have well-done steak, a handful of crab cakes, and some chicken noodle soup."  
"Sure, eat light," Amaimon rolled his eyes.

Yukiko chuckled, "I'll just have some ramen."  
"Your wish is my command," Amaimon mock-bowed and said, "You pick a table, I'll be there ASAP."

Hoshi gave the Earth King a thumbs-up. Amaimon mock-bowed again and strolled to the table. He made his way to the front, cutting everyone else. Of course, a chorus of yells, curses, and protests a second later. "Hey, Greenie!" A guy snapped, "Who do you think you are?"  
Amaimon chuckled, "Well, actually, I'm..."  
"Cornelius Faust." Yukiko steered him away, "Who's going to wait in line just like anyone else." Her expression made it clear that she wasn't joking.

Amaimon turned beet-red, "Sorry. Forgot. My brother and I always ate in his office."  
Yukiko smiled a little in sympathy. She patted his back, "It's okay, man. Just...wait your turn, okay?"

Amaimon hesitated, then appeared to think about it. Yukiko suppressed an eye-roll. He nodded and said, "If it makes things easier for you, then I'll do it."  
Yukiko was sure she turned every shade of red right there.

"Get a room!" A boy yelled from the line. Without even looking at him, Amaimon waved his hand. A chunk of concrete fell right in front of the boy. Not enough to touch him, but enough to make a point.

Yukiko winced and patted him on the back, "See you in a minute."  
Amaimon nodded, "Sure."

Hoshi grinned as Yukiko seated herself, "You and the Earth King are getting awful close, aren't ya?"  
Yukiko took one look at her sister and whined, hiding her face in her hands, "I know! But I can't help it!" She peeked at Hoshi through her fingers, "He's sweet, childlike, interesting, handsome and fun..." She cradled her face in her hands, "I don't stand a chance. He'd most likely date a _real_ girl. A porn star."

"You're a girl, as far as I'm concerned." Hoshi said bluntly as she slabbed butter on a roll, "I just spent half an hour scrubbing through two layers of dirt, and I didn't see..."  
"Hoshi!"  
"Well you know what I mean!" Hoshi snapped, biting in the roll, then her expression softened, "Yuki, you like him. And he likes you. It's beyond obvious."  
"But he's a demon." Yukiko said, "It could never work."  
"Never work?" Hoshi arched a black eyebrow, "You're saying this to the half-human daughter of Iblis?"

Yukiko froze. She hadn't thought about that. Hoshi had a point. Half-human, half-demon hybrids littered the streets. It wasn't entirely impossible for something to happen between the two beings. But Yukiko knew that it wasn't the only reason. Something else, besides her incredibly-low self-esteem, was holding her back.

And it was fear. After what she'd been through, no matter how long ago it had happened, Yukiko could never forget it. Every time she looked at her scars, she remembered the cruelty she'd been exposed to. As much as she hated to admit it, Yukiko was emotionally scarred. She felt like a piece of herself had been lost that night, and it wouldn't return anytime soon. If it happened again, she'd probably end up mentally unstable.

Hoshi rubbed Yukiko's shoulder softly, specifically where an especially deep scar lay hidden by the cloth. "Yuki," She said, "Amaimon likes you. I don't think he cares if you're not the most gorgeous girl on the block. What matters is what's under your appearance."  
Yukiko chuckled bitterly, "I think that only happens in 'Beauty in the Beast', sis. In this world, beautiful girls are chased. It's just how things are."  
"Yuki..."

"Here we are!" Amaimon marched towards their table with his arms loaded with food and a huge bowl of candy poised on his green head. With steady grace only a demon king could manage, Amaimon handed the appropriate meal to each girl. Then, he sat down and started eating the candy hungrily.

They started eating in silence, which meant the food was good. But ten minutes later, a butler marched towards the table. He glared daggers at Amaimon, "Young man! Did you steal the main dessert from the kitchen?"  
"'Steal' is kinda harsh," Amaimon said bluntly, "I prefer 'claimed'."  
The butler looked like he'd slap the green-haired boy, and Hoshi's hair started to move. Instead, he recomposed himself and said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
"What?" Amaimon jumped to his feet, "Don't you tell me what to do! I'm a guest here!"

"If you don't get out of this restaurant," The man yelled, "I can and will have you and your friends kicked out of this motel!"  
Amaimon opened his mouth to say something, but Yukiko put her hand on his chest, "Corny."  
He purred like a cat and looked at her.

"Let's just go, okay?" She said, her chocolate-brown eyes pleading, "It's not worth a hassle."

Amaimon bit his lip and nodded. He turned to the butler and casually slid his arm over Yukiko's shoulder. He smirked and said, "Who'd wanna eat in a crummy place like this anyway? My girls deserve better." He headed towards the exit, "Come on, ladies."


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for the reviews, you guys! YOU ROCK! Also, I'm going to explain (thanks, Damuzachi!) why Amaimon is a bit OOC.**

**This song is called 'At the Beginning'. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 17: At the Beginning Part 2

The three friends ended up eating at McDonald's. Considering the wedges of money Yukiko had stolen from people on the train (and the waiter when he hadn't been looking), they were able to buy two McBacons, chicken nuggets, three McChickens, and a McRib. Yukiko and Hoshi watched with wide eyes as Amaimon attacked two of the McChickens and McRib. He ate like a starved animal. No, maybe worse. One thing for sure: everyone was staring at the Earth King like he was a Martian. The green-haired boy didn't notice, though.  
At the end of it all, he belched so loudly, Yukiko visibly flinched.

He sighed in contentment and patted his belly, "More fries!"

Hoshi shook her head and took another bite of her McBacon, "Hey, Your Infernal Majesty, you've stuffed your face enough as it is."  
Amaimon frowned and tilted his head, "What did you call me?"

Hoshi frowned right back, "Are you deaf? I called you 'Your Infer-"

"AMAIMON!" The Earth King scrambled on the table, making both girls jump out of their seats, "MY NAME IS AMAIMON!" Everyone was staring now. Some were even taking pictures.

"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Hoshi held her hands up in surrender, "Did it shock you_ that_ much?"

Amaimon blinked, and he sat back down. The sisters shared looks before following suit. "I-I guess not," He muttered, scratching his head, "I've been called lots of things like that: Your Highness, Your Majesty, King Amaimon...I don't know. It just sounded wrong when_ you_ said it."

Yukiko's brow furrowed. She scratched her head, "How so?"  
Amaimon shrugged, "I guess...before I met you guys, my kingdom and my status were the most important things to me. Those and Aniue. He was the only one who really understood me. But now, I know you girls." His green-blue eyes twinkled, "And you're the only...friends I've ever really had. You're the only humans that didn't run when you figured who I was. And hearing you call me 'your Highness'..." He scratched his head again, "I guess I just kinda snapped."

Yukiko smiled kindly and patted his shoulder from across the table, "I understand."  
Amaimon blushed and took Yukiko's light brown hand in his pale one, locking their fingers together. The cinammon-blonde turned the color of a turnip, but she bit her lip. She squeezed his hand and let go. Hoshi grinned at her sister and her friend before clapping her hands, "We should get cracking. The night's still young. How 'bout we go dancing or something?"

"Dancing?" Amaimon's eyes glittered, "Aniue brought me dancing all the time! Well," His face flushed with embarrassment, "Until that one time when I accidentally destroyed the club."

Hoshi sprayed her Fanta all over him, stilling him like a statue. Yukiko groaned and face-palmed. Hoshi's face turned the color of some of her hair tips, "Sorry."  
Amaimon forced himself to calm down and took a napkin. He dabbed himself, "It's okay."

Yukiko came to the rescue. She said, "How did you destroy the club?"  
Amaimon giggled nervously, "Um..."

* * *

_Twelve Years Prior..._

_"I love this song!" Amaimon kept dancing, his pale face set in a huge grin. Mephisto clamped a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and said, "They don't let children in here, so try to blend in."  
Amaimon looked shocked, "What do you mean, 'blend in'? I'm two feet taller than anyone else in here except you."_

_"Oh, Mephy," A woman with skin like polished onyx stroked Mephisto's purple hair seductively, "Wanna dance with me?"  
"Of course, my blossom." Mephisto gave Amaimon a stern look, "Just behave." _

_"Yes, Aniue!" Amaimon beamed at his elder brother before dancing crazily. The songs switched as he did. They went from 'Stayin' Alive' to 'I'm Bad' to 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough'. The lights changed like a butterfly's wings: first yellow, then blue, then pink. The Earth King was in such ecstacy, he took off his pointy-toed shoes and waved them in the air like flags._

_Everything was going great...until Amaimon accidentally let go of one of his shoes. It sailed through the air and nailed the DJ right in the face. He yelled and fell backwards, trying to grab something for support. He pulled on a cord, yanking it from the wall. As the DJ fell, the disco ball shattered in the center of the dancefloor. People screamed and panicked. Those closest to the glittering mess shoved past other guests, knocking over potted plants and chairs. One person fell and grabbed the curtains suspended from the wall, tearing the whole thing down. Another one accidentally spilled his drink on the DJ machine, making sparks fly._

_The room blacked out._

_Mephisto blinked very slowly and looked at his little brother, who was still holding his other shoe._

_"...Oops." Amaimon managed._

* * *

Hoshi and Yukiko stared at the Earth King with wide eyes. Then, they shared looks of shock. Amaimon could sense, though, that they were holding back laughter.

Yukiko took a deep breath and said, "Well...talk about 'bringing the house down'."

The three laughed so loudly, some people got up and left. Yukiko turned bright red and tapped Hoshi's shoulder, "I still say we give it a shot."  
"Well..." Amaimon thought a minute, "If it makes you happy, I'll do it."

"_Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Ro_-"

Yukiko stuffed the rest of her burger in Hoshi's mouth, shutting her up.

* * *

"Hey," Amaimon arched a dark green brow at the club, "This is a nice place."  
Yukiko held her forearm in her hand, looking down, "My parents loved this place. Took me here all the time."

Hoshi's expression softened. She pulled Yukiko in a one-armed hug. Amaimon suddenly felt the urge to make her smile again. Though he would never admit it, Amaimon depended on Yukiko's smile. Seeing her happy made him happy as well.

Without another word, he grabbed her and pulled her on the dancefloor. It reminded him a lot of the club he'd accidentally put out of business. The room was dimly-lit, making him look like a ghost. There were teenagers and adults dancing alike, and unlike the club he'd destroyed, it had a calming aura to it. The music was cheerful and softly-played. One could very well talk as well as dance. There were even tables and chairs where people were eating snacks or sipping drinks. Hoshi claimed one table and ordered an extra-large chocolate milkshake.

Yukiko had been ready to cry minutes ago. Now, as Amaimon shyly put one hand on her hip, the other enclosed around hers, she felt her jangled nerves soothe out. The cinammon-blonde had to suppress a laugh: the Earth King looked as nervous as a kid on his first date. He was biting his lip and looking at her under his eyelashes, which were a green so dark they looked black in the dim light. Feeling a bit better, she gulped and put a hand on his shoulder. They began to move slowly across the dancefloor.

"Um...Amaimon...I wanted to ask you something."  
"Yes?" The Earth King turned his full attention to her.

"Do you..." Yukiko wasn't sure how to say it without sounding offensive, "Do you ever wish you were...human?" When his green-blue eyes widened in surprise, Yukiko continued, "I mean, I read a lot about demons. I know they show very little emotion, and the emotion they_ do_express is joy in harming others. You don't act like that."

Amaimon blinked and looked down, his brow furrowed in thought. He continued to think as they continued to dance. After a minute, he said, "I guess...Gehenna and Assiah are facing each other like mirrors, right?"  
"Right." Yukiko nodded.

"Well, as ridiculous as it may sound, demons and humans aren't that different." Amaimon said, "We come out the way people treat us, just like humans. Though we obviously have demonic personality traits, what really shapes us is the events in our lives. So," He twirled her in a circle before continuing, "As for your question: I don't know. If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, I'd have laughed in your face. But now," He shrugged, "Demons are expected to be evil. They're expected to be these horrible vicious monsters that kill without a change in expression. As a result, we're treated like scum. We don't exactly appreciate it, so we don't mind living up to the expectations humans have of us.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," Amaimon inhaled and brought Yukiko closer, "I used to think that being sadistic was part of me. But now that I'm not expected to be...I just don't feel the urge to be."

Yukiko's eyes were glassy. She whispered, "I never thought of it like that." It was obvious that she felt guilty for brining it up. Amaimon heard the melody change and tilted his head towards the speakers, "Hey, there's a new song."

Yukiko listened for a moment and brightened, "I love this song."

Amaimon smiled in triumph, "Well then. It'll be an honor to show you a good dance."

For five whole minutes, the couple danced at the song, wrapped in each other's arms:

_"We were strangers starting out on our journey_  
_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through_  
_Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing_  
_At the beginning with you._

_No one told me I was going to find you_  
_Unexpected what you did to my heart_  
_When I lost hope you were there to remind me_  
_This is the start._

_And lLife is a road and I want to keep going_  
_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_  
_Life is a road now and forever_  
_A wonderful journey."_


	18. Chapter 18

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 18: Hama

Shura Kirigakure, Mephisto's employee, marched through the construction sight with less than enthusiasm. She'd been told several days ago that Mephisto's pesky little brother had run off, and she'd spent the past days travelling to the Kantō region in cognito. Now, she was making her way around a large hole and a machine. In the middle of the night, no less!  
"Just great." Shura muttered, her bright purple eyes flashing, "First I getta bullshit assignment, now I got my outfit ruined..." She glanced down at her denim jacket. It was coated in dust and mud from getting tripped by a hobgoblin.

Great. She'd just gotten it back from the cleaners (who needed a washing machine when you could pay others to do it for you?), and it was already filthy. Just. Freaking. Perfect.

Why did Mephisto have to choose her? Twenty-two agents to choose from, and he chose her! It was beyond annoying! If there was a God up there, then he had a really twisted sense of humor.

"Shiro..." She sighed, remembering her old mentor. She looked at the starry sky, "I know yer takin' care o' business wit' Blackie an' all that, but..." She shrugged, "I dunno, gimme a hand!"

Crying. Muffled crying. Shura's defences went up as she looked around. Most people would've been looking for a child or wounded puppy, but not this redhead. She'd been in the exorcist business long enough to know that demons could decieve you up close and personal. If they were close enough, they could peek inside your mind, find your weakest link, and use it against you. Shura was a lover of children, so the crying child sound was obviously meant for her.

"Severe the head of the snake..." Shura held her hand over her stomach as it began to glow, "...That devours the eight princes." A long blade appeared, and Shura pulled it out as easily as taking a book from a shelf. She held it tightly, ready to fight.

Her dark red, blonde-tipped hair flowed after her as she crept towards the sound. Finally, the sound was at its loudest at the foot of an abandoned hospital. The cattails were especially high, almost as high as the sword weilder herself, so she couldn't see her foe.

Shura inhaled deeply before jumping out, ready to strike.

A little kid lay crumpled near the garbage heap. For a minute, Shura couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. Then, she caught sight of the long, dark brown braid. The girl looked like she'd been dragged through a bonfire; her charred-black clothes were barely clinging to her skeletal limbs, and her body was zig-zagged with three-degree burns. Shura frowned and looked closer.

The girl couldn't have been more than nine. But almost immediately, the sword weilder knew that something wasn't natural about her. To be sure, Shura checked the kid's back. A furry tail the same color as her hair twitched behind her. It was badly burned as well.

The girl glanced at Shura. Her eyes widened. A horrible shriek escaped her lips as she bolted backwards. Her sea-green eyes widened even more as she pressed against the garbage can. Her breath came out as terrified huffs. Just for a second, she reminded Shura of a rabbit.

"Hey, hey there." Shura put the sword down...for the moment, "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

The girl seemed to calm down a tiny bit, but she definately wasn't relax. Now that she was sitting up, Shura could see her arm was coated in stitches, like it'd been pieced together. Silent tears streamed down the girl's face, "Where's...where's Daddy? Said...said he couldn't stay...Said he'd try to help."

Shura frowned, but she crouched down, "What's yer name, kid?"

"H-Hama," The girl replied, "Hama Nakane."

Shura nodded. 'Hama' meant 'seashore'. Interesting name; definately better than 'carnage'. She was about to give the girl her jacket when something caught her eye. There were garbage bags right next to Hama. The redhead wouldn't have been surprised if she'd been dumped right alongside them. They looked like black bags you find anywhere, but something in Shura's gut told her that something was wrong.

"Hama," She said, pulling her sword out, "Cover your eyes." The girl nodded and covered her eyes with long-clawed hands. Shura sliced through the first bag like it was cheese.

Ash. Lots of it. Something stuck out of it, though.

Shura frowned and reached in, finding something small and hard. She pulled out a bony fingertip with a long claw attached to it.

"Aah!" She bolted to her feet and wiped her hand on her shorts. Shivers went down her back, and her pulse quickened. It was like something from a horror movie. What Shura didn't understand was: if Hama had been burned like whoever's finger she'd just found, why was she still alive? She definately wasn't okay, but she looked like she could pull through.

"I..." Hama spoke in such a quiet voice, Shura almost missed it, "I want my daddy." Then, she hid her face in her claws and cried.

Suddenly, something glowed above Hama's head. For a minute, it looked like gray-blue fire. Shura got ready to fight, but an upside-down cross formed over Hama's head. The whole area smelled like a beach, and swirls of water spiralled around the crusifix. Hama frowned and looked up. She tried to touch the hologram, but it was already fading.

"Daddy..." She hugged her knees, "I want my daddy." She started crying again.

Shura was shocked for a second. She'd know that sign. It was the symbol of Egyn, the King of Water.

"Hama," She knelt down again and took the little girl's hand. It was still warm from the fire. Hama looked up, her glassy sea-green eyes meeting Shura's lilac ones. The redhead said, "Come with me. We'll heal ya. We'll find Daddy."  
Hama sniffed and nodded, holding her arms out. Shura felt a streak of motherness inside her as she hugged the girl. She picked her up and headed back the way she'd come.

As she held onto Hama, she pulled out her walkie-talkie and held it to her ear.

"Kirigakure? Did you find him?" Mephisto asked immediately. For a second, Shura felt sympathy for the guy. Then, she found her voice, "No, I didn't. But I _did_ find somethin' I think you'll like."

"What is it?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Hope you enjoy! Please review!**

* * *

Chapter 19: Dragged Away

The next morning, Hoshi, Yukiko, and Amaimon left the motel early. The Earth King was sure that True Cross Academy wasn't too far now. He'd always arrived there by swinging through the trees, so at first, the memory was a little fuzzy. But once trees are fully grown, they look more or less the same for a long time. That's how Amaimon was able to recognize one. The three friends started a zig-zag pattern around the city. It was no surprise when the path brought them in almost every candy store in the city. The sisters practically had to drag Amaimon away since they were low on money. And in broad daylight, they couldn't steal.

That wasn't much of a surprise, either. But what _was_ a surprise was Yukiko summoning her courage and taking Amaimon's hand. Hoshi made a _'finally!'_ gesture while the green-haired boy froze. He looked at their joined hands with a blank expression, then Yukiko, "What're you doing?"  
Yukiko, who was already nervous to begin with, blushed and let go. She widened the distance between them, "I-I'm sorry, I..."

"I didn't say I didn't like it." Amaimon snatched her hand back. He gave a little yank, and she almost crashed into him. He looked at her with an almost authorized look, "Now, stay."  
Yukiko, despite her face catching fire, managed a smirk, "Yes, your Highness."

Amaimon opened his mouth to protest, but Hoshi shook her head. She mouthed, _'Don't even** think** about it!'_

The Earth King rolled his green-blue eyes before looking at his hand clutching Yukiko's. A gentle smile appeared on his face.

* * *

The trio walked another hundred feet. When he'd travelled by trees, this road had seemed like a breeze. But now...ugh. He understood why most people claimed to be allergic to exercising.

He suggested bringing them to True Cross Academy through his tree-travel system, but Hoshi dismissed the idea on the spot. For one thing, fire and earth didn't mix. She might get irritated and set the tree on fire. Plus, Hoshi and Yukiko had little to no chances of keeping up with the Earth King, especially with Yukiko's ankle braces. Even if Amaimon carried both of them, they still might attract attention. They hadn't been caught so far because they'd been intent on keeping a low profile. A teenage boy jumping through the trees with two girls clinging to him was definately_** not**_ a low profile.

The trio was making good progress, though; Yukiko calculated that they'd arrive by the next morning.

"Unless, by some chance," She smirked, "You wanna walk all night."

"No thanks." Hoshi and Amaimon said at the same time.

They walked another fifty feet. Amaimon was quiet, wrapped up in his thoughts. For some reason, he remembered one of the first discussions he'd had with his father. It'd been one discussing his 'destined mate': the female, demon or human alike, destined to be his Earth Queen. The woman he'd bind with for all eternity. It literally brought out the expression 'together forever'. The green-haired demon didn't understand why he was thinking about it, though: it was normally his brothers who impregnated any female they took a liking to (hence the Demonic Genesis project). He'd never been the romantic type.

Then, he became aware of Yukiko's soft hand in his. Amaimon blushed slightly and glanced at the cinammon-blonde, who was laughing about something with Hoshi.

Could Yukiko...be his mate?

Amaimon dismissed the idea immediately. Yukiko was incredible, sure: self-sacrificing, caring, and very intelligent. But she had flaws, too: her emotions were made of glass. Easily shattered. Not only that, but she didn't care enough about herself to keep herself safe. If someone aimed a gun for Hoshi's head, Yukiko would put her own head in the way. Besides, after almost being raped, Amaimon wouldn't be suprised if she freaked out if he proposed.

"Amaimon?" Yukiko gently squeezed his hand, her chocolate-brown eyes glinting with concern, "Are you okay?"

Amaimon forced the dark thoughts out of the way and nodded, smiling softly. He squeezed Yukiko's hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Well, you'd better be," Hoshi pointed, "'Cuz we still got a long wait to go."

Amaimon followed her finger and immediately agreed. True Cross Academy was so close, he could feel his hidden tail wag.

They had to cross the bridge, and they'd arrive. The academy looked like a separate city, with a series of buildings so close to each other, they could've passed for dice. With the sunset behind it, the entire academy looked like a palace. Amaimon knew one thing for sure: once they entered, they'd be protected by the barrier.

Well, at least he hoped.

He stepped forward, but Yukiko held up her hand. She used the other to tuck some chin-long hair behind her ear, "I say we call it quits. We've walked a lot today, and we're all hungry. We'll rest in an alley and move out in the morning."  
"Oh, how exciting. Another night in the curb." Hoshi muttered. When Yukiko turned to her, the muscular girl chuckled and held her hands up, "Kidding, I'm kidding."

Amaimon rolled his green-blue eyes, "And Aniue calls _my_ sense of humor childish."

Hoshi's hair instantly formed fire whips, "Watch it, Spinach Boy!"

"Guys!" Yukiko stepped in between them before things could get physical, "Enough already!"

Hoshi looked at Yukiko, and her expression softened. She sighed, and her hair went back to normal, "Alright. Amaimon, you pick a spot. Yukiko and I'll load up on food."

"How're you gonna get it? We're fresh out of money. Oh, wait, lemme guess," Amaimon grinned, like he actually approved, "You gonna steal it?"

Yukiko nodded, "Yep. Or beg, if we need to."

Amaimon nodded. He didn't really like the idea of Yukiko sitting in the corner begging passengerby for spare change, but right now, they had little options. He ran a hand through his green hair, "Okay."

* * *

By the time half the constellations had appeared in the sky, the three were sitting in an alley right next to the bridge. Amaimon had been clever for a guy new in the streets: it was an alley next to a post office, so the garbage didn't smell. With Hoshi's powers, they even had light and heating. Yukiko had managed to mug quite a feast in the crowds: a handful of apples, some crackers, and beef jerky.

"And for dessert..." Yukiko grinned and held a Butterfingers for Amaimon to see.

The Earth King's eyes widened. He reached for a little kid, "Gimme gimme gimme!"  
Yukiko laughed and held the candy bar far from his reach, "No can do, Your Majesty!"

Amaimon mock-pouted, then grinned devilishly. Yukiko was about to worry what he was up to when she felt she bar being yanked from her hand. The cinammon-blonde turned to see a dark green, furry tail coil around the Butterfingers and return to its owner.

"Beat that!" Amaimon tore the wrapper away and stuffed the entire candy in his mouth.

"Sorry," Hoshi joked through bites of apple, "I'd rather play fair."

When Amaimon rolled his eyes, an apple hit him in the head, "Ow!"  
Both sisters laughed and slapped a high-five. Amaimon pouted, "No fair."

"Well, you know what they say," Yukiko said, tucking some hair behind her ear, "'All's fair in love and war'."

"How's this love and war?" Amaimon pretended to be exasperated. He even threw his hands up, "Where's the freaking connection?"

In response, the sister just laughed even louder, Hoshi even wiping her eyes.

Amaimon sighed and watched the flames. He couldn't help think about his father, and a pang of lonliness hit him. He blinked and hugged his knees to his chest. What was wrong with him? Satan was a lot of things, but he wasn't loving. If he knew his son was missing him, he'd laugh out loud and smack him in the ear.

Yukiko noticed her friend's expression and spoke up, "Do you miss your brother?"

Amaimon blinked back to reality and looked at the two girls. Hoshi wasn't saying anything, but her expression was just as concerned as Yukiko's. He sighed, and the truth slipped out, "All the time."

Hoshi hesitated. Then, she patted him in the back. A yawn followed.

Amaimon smiled just a little bit, "It's late. You should sleep."

"And you?" Hoshi arched a black brow, "Princes need their beauty sleep."

"Just take a nap." This wasn't a request. It was an order. The Japanese girl rolled her eyes and slipped off her mustard-colored jacket. Out of it, she made a makeshift pillow and lay on the cardboard mattress. She was snoring a minute later.

Amaimon hadn't noticed, but Yukiko was asleep, too: on his trouser leg. She had a soft smile on her face. Amaimon blinked and shifted, then decided to play along. He leaned against the wall and spent what felt like hours playing with Yukiko's curly hair. He eventually fell asleep, too.

* * *

By the time the fire was reduced to embers, Yukiko's eyes snapped open. She hadn't heard anything; she hadn't seen anything, either. But she'd felt something. Something in her gut was telling her that danger was nearby. In all her years of sleeping with one eye open and trusting pain to get her through the day, she'd learned to trust her hunches.

Quiet as a vampire, she slipped out of the Earth King's hands and stood. She checked to make sure she had a weapon: a small paring knife. It wasn't much, but it would be easy to hide in her baggy clothes. Yukiko slipped it in her belt and walked out of the alley.

She didn't need to go far. By the time she was fifteen feet into the street, something snarled to her left. Yukiko jerked her head.

A Malkin stood there, leering at her. Yukiko took a step back. This demon looked like a scarecrow, but its beady eyes seemed to follow her as she moved.

The cinammon-blonde did what anyone would do: she bolted into a run, careful not to shriek. The Malkin just laughed shrilly and levitated after her. Yukiko ran away from the alley: it was clear that the Demonic Genesis scientists had sent it to bring them back. If she led this thing to Hoshi and Amaimon, it would be trouble. She had to keep all its attention on her.

Something whizzed past her ear. Yukiko turned and yelped. The Malkin was throwing knives and pitchforks at her, its face set in a grin.

"No fair!" Yukiko yelled.

A pitchfork impaled itself in her foot, tearing through her ankle brace. Yukiko shrieked in pain and fell to the ground. She allowed herself a quick glance at her foot. It was bleeding badly, and it wouldn't surprise her if all the healing bones were shattered even worse than before.

The Malkin laughed again and started towards her. Adrenaline pumped through Yukiko's system. With gritted teeth, she yanked the pitchfork out of her foot. Her foot throbbed with pain, but she forced herself up and ran, limping on her foot.

* * *

Amaimon's green-blue eyes snapped open. He'd heard Yukiko yell, 'no fair!', he'd been sure of it. He looked down to see she wasn't sleeping on his leg anymore. Amaimon turned to Hoshi and shook her shoulder, "Hoshi? Hoshi, wake up!"  
"Mmm..." Hoshi's dark brown eyes glazed open, "Broccoli head, what's..." She stopped, sat up, and looked around frantically, "Where's Yukiko?"  
"I don't know!" Amaimon said, "But I heard her scream."

From a distance, Yukiko's screams could be heard.

Hoshi's black hair turned to fire whips, and in her rage, she looked a lot like her father Iblis. She rose to her feet and started towards the sound. Amaimon was quick to follow. He had half a mind to call his familiar, but he knew that they had to be stealthy. Behemoth was definately not quiet, so that was out of the picture.

They followed the sounds just in time to see a scarecrow-like demon yell in delight and throw another knife at Yukiko. This one nailed her in the shoulder, and she fell to the ground. Blood pooled around her.

She forced herself up, and she locked eyes with Hoshi. Her eyes got wild, and she made a gesture with her head, 'Go'. Hoshi shook her head and took one step forward.

The Malkin squawked at the noise and turned in Hoshi's direction. When it saw her, it made a weird chattering noise and bolted towards her.

A rock hit it right in the head, knocking its hat off. "H-hey!" Yukiko yelled, her face strained in pain. The Malkin turned to her as she grabbed another rock. "Why don't you finish what you started..." She held the rock up, "...With me?"  
The Malkin looked at her for a long minute, deciding.

Then, it grabbed her by the collar and lifted her into the air. Then, it flew off like a very large, very ugly bird.

Hoshi snapped. She turned to Amaimon and shoved him so hard, he fell on his bottom. Flames dances on his shirt, and Amaimon patted them out.

"You could've saved her!" The girl screamed, her hair writhing furiously, "You could've made an earthquake, kicked his ass, anything! But you just stood there!" Her face grew hard, "One day, I'll have the chance to save you, and I'll watch you suffer and die!"

Amaimon lost it. He rose to his feet, "I've never faced a Malkin before! It just would've made things worse!"  
"Worse than Yukiko being dragged away?" Hoshi screamed, "Yukiko risked her life for you FIVE FREAKING TIMES, and you won't even help out? SOME FRIEND!"

Her hair whips slammed into Amaimon, sending him flying into the brick wall. She was ready to hit him some more, but a calm male voice said, "Dear me. Someone needs anger management classes."

The two turned to see a purple-haired demon standing in the alley. When he saw Amaimon, his forest-green eyes glinted, "Little brother. You have _a lot_ of explaining to do."


	20. Chapter 20

**OMG Thank you so much everyone for all the reviews! I'm so glad my first fic is getting so much attention! Thank you so much!**

* * *

Chapter 20: Understanding the Enemy

"Brother..." Amaimon's green-blue eyes were the size of platters, "I...I..." He honestly didn't know what to say. He'd imagined bursting in Aniue's office with a tale to tell of evil scientists, but now that Mephisto had caught him in an awful moment, the Earth King's speech left him. The image of Yukiko, battered, bleeding, and terrified, was printed in his mind like press-on nails.

Mephisto smirked at his younger brother's expression and held his arms out, "Come."

Amaimon's face crumpled, and he wrapped his arms around his brother, burying his face in his expensive white coat. Hoshi watched unimpressed as her green-haired friend sobbed brokenly in this weird man's outfit. Mephisto kept his relaxed smile and patted Amaimon's spike. Now that his little brother was here again, he couldn't show how concerned he really had been.

Hoshi's hair started to burn at the ends, "Great. Perfect. Y'all had a heartwarming reunion and all that, but I have a question."

"Ah." Mephisto arched a dark purple brow, "And what might that be?"

"Oh, I don't know," Hoshi tapped her chin in false thought, "I was wondering...oh, yeah!" She yelled, "WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE GOING AFTER YUKIKO?"

Mephisto frowned, "Who?"

"Yukiko Bundō." Amaimon filled in, "She's Hoshi's foster sister. Before you came, a Malkin appeared. We wanted to intervene, but Yukiko distracted it and made it leave us alone."  
Was that compassion in Mephisto's eyes?

Hoshi sneered, "You're forgetting the part where you refused to help!" Her dark brown eyes gleamed with tears, "How could you? I thought you cared about her!"

Amaimon's temper flared, and he let it, "I _DO_ CARE!" Mephisto shot him a look, and Amaimon took a deep, calming breath. "I _do_care," He repeated in a softer voice, sincerly meaning it, "But I'm not at my full strength here. I draw my power from nature. If we're in a city or town, I'm useless."

Hoshi sighed and wiped her eyes, refusing to look at him, "Whatever."

Mephisto stepped in, "What is your name, young lady?"

Hoshi glared daggers at the purple-haired demon, but she muttered, "Hoshi Tanaka."

Mephisto smiled. So _this_ was Iblis' daughter. She definately looked tough enough to make her father proud. He held his hand out, "Mephisto Pheles, elder brother of Amaimon."

Hoshi reluctantly shook his hand.

Mephisto nodded and straightened his jacket, "Well, any friend of Amaimon is a friend of mine. Come. We'll get you both showered, changed, and fed. We'll discuss our plan there."  
Hoshi looked at the elder demon distrustfully. But after a minute, she nodded sharply.

* * *

As the three walked down the school halls, Mephisto explained everything. Well, as close to 'everything' as he could get, "Shura Kirigakure, my best tracker and swordswoman..."

"The one with the F-cup?" Amaimon interrupted. Hoshi shuddered.

Mephisto nodded, "Yes, Amaimon. That one."

Amaimon nodded, "Sorry. Please continue."

Mephisto smirked and did so, "Anyway, I sent her to look for you..."  
"You did?" Amaimon was touched by his brother's concern, "Really?"  
Mephisto cursed in his mind. He put on his best scowl and put his hands on his hips, "If you keep interrupting, I'll just keep you in the dark."  
"Yes, I'm sorry." Amaimon pouted, biting his nail. Mephisto sighed and continued, "As I was saying, I sent her to look for and retrieve you. Instead, she found a few, ah, relatives."

Hoshi frowned, "You mean half-demons like me?"

"Correct," Mephisto stopped in front of a door and pinched his hands behind his back, "Though I feel I must warn you, it's not a pretty sight."  
"Can't be worse than eating cobwebs out of hunger." Hoshi said it so bluntly, the demon brothers could tell she was speaking the truth.

Mephisto shrugged and opened the door. Amaimon's already-pale face turned almost gray.

The room was huge, about the size of Mephisto's office. It was painted white, and there were four beds neatly stacked in a row. A sleeping child occupied each bed. The Earth King's eyes examined each one carefully, taking in their appearances.

The first one was a little girl with olive skin, claws, and long wavy hair of a brown so dark it was almost black. She was supermodel skinny, so even though she had to be nine or ten, Amaimon would've taken her for a seven-year-old. The girl had several bad burns on her exposed arms and face, but amazingly enough, she looked strong enough to pull through. The symbol of Egyn, the King of Water (an acqua-blue upside-down crusifix surrounded by waves) was nailed in her bedframe. Underneath it was the name _'Hama Nakane'_.

The next kid was a strong-looking boy of about twelve years old. He had shaggy light ash-brown hair, well-tanned skin, acne, and a tail twitching next to him on the sheets. He, like Hama, had burns all over his body. Only he wasn't as fortunate: while his face was alright, his arms were badly scorched, and both his legs were in casts. The symbol of Akeldama, the King of Misfortune (an upside-down cross made of broken mirror shards) was nailed in his bedframe above the name _'Gregory Hills'_.

The third kid was another boy, though he was much younger. He must've been six or seven years old at the very most. Amaimon could immediately tell he was Beezlebub's son: he had the same pale skin and bright blonde hair. His arm was in a sling, and he winced every time he moved. Under Beelzebub's symbol (an upside-down cross made of bugs) was the name _'Vincent Wolf'_.

Finally, the last was an African-American girl a bit older than the rest; Amaimon gave her thirteen or fourteen tops. She was a bit chubby, with braided black hair and skin like polished onyx. The girl was attached to a machine giving her oxygen. The symbol over her head belonged to Astaroth, the King of Rot. It was, again, an upside-down cross made of decomposing bones. Undernath was her name:_ 'Brigitte River'_.

"Shura found Hama over there about two nights ago. Apparently, someone haf tried to cremate her without success. So they burned her best they could and left her there to die." Mephisto explained, "We found the other three the same way. Whoever kidnapped them tried to kill them, failed, and abandoned them to the mercy of nature."

"But why?" Hoshi didn't sound angry, thank God. She sounded shocked and disgusted. These kids were half-demons, sure, but did they really deserve this? They hadn't asked to be born the way they were. It was imprinted in their DNA. Nothing could change it. But trying to kill them just seemed pointlessly cruel.

"Because the Demonic Genesis project exists to eliminate the dangers of half-bloods," Mephisto explained, "At least, this is what my spies managed to find out. They try to rehabilitate them, and if it fails, the failures are terminated. Only the successes are kept alive. Also according to my sources," Mephisto smirked, like this was the good part, "Once a child is released, he or she is paid a fortune not to tell anyone."

Hoshi growled, "I think I'm gonna puke."

"Oh, here." Mephisto handed the muscular girl a plastic bag. She stared at him, as if to say, 'Seriously?' Then, she gently pushed the bag away. Mephisto shrugged and tucked the bag in his shirt pocket, "Anyway, we plan on taking this organization down. My people have already mailed sufficient evidence to the Japanese government explaining everything. It will take a few days at most until the building is closed down."  
"A few days?" Hoshi repeated, "We can't wait that long! Yukiko's in there!"  
"I'm aware of that." Mephisto said bluntly.

Hoshi gritted her teeth, and her hair danced with fire, "I know what those scientists will do. They'll perform experiments on her until she talks. She might think of something to buy herself some time, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's in a living hell by now."

Mephisto looked ready to laugh, but he held it together, "Hoshi-san, do you hear the logic of what you're saying. You're basically saying that these people would torture an innocent girl in order to get information to find a full-demon and a half one. This isn't a movie."  
"They've killed before! They'll kill again!" She yelled, "What I don't understand is why they never laid a finger on Amaimon."

"Easy." Mephisto grinned, "They're afraid of angering Satan. But because half-bloods are a dime a dozen, they figured no one will bother rescuing them."

"Right." Hoshi rolled her dark brown eyes.

Suddenly, Amaimon realized something: these experiments were meant for half-demons, people with accelerated healing and resistance. Yukiko was a normal human with weakened feet. She wouldn't last half the experiments they had in store. Something tugged at Amaimon's chest, like a bony hand was squeezing his heart.

"Hoshi's right." Amaimon said, "We have to rescue Yukiko as soon as possible."

"We will." Mephisto promised, "We'll discuss what to do with Shura Kirigakure."

Hoshi sighed in exasperation.

* * *

An hour later, when everyone had showered and changed, the four were eating at Mephisto's private dining table. Amaimon stuck to sweets, but no matter how many he crammed in his mouth, he couldn't get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth. Hoshi, like Shura, practically attacked the meat. Mephisto just sipped some expensive-looking wine.

"So," Shura said through a mouthful of turkey, "Here's what we gonna do: we're gonna send da letter ta da government, wait for 'em to make a move, then go in an' take da kids."

"That's your genius plan?" Hoshi demanded, "Wait for the government to come in with the guns? What if they're too late? What if everyone dies before then?"

Shura's face softened slightly. She could tell Hoshi was especially worried about someone, even though she refused to say who. She nodded, "Okay. What if we made a lil' earthquake," She looked at Amaimon, "And get da kids then? Then, the government'll pop in an' shut the place down."

"Already it's better," Hoshi bit in her chicken leg, "When do we roll?"

"Tomorrow evening." Mephisto said, stirring his wine with his spoon, "Please be prepared."

"Oh, I'll be prepared." Hoshi said it with so much confidence, everyone believed it. Shura nodded and cracked a smile. She pointed at Hoshi and looked at Mephisto, "I like her."

* * *

Yukiko screamed and tugged against her bonds. Tears of pain streamed down her face. The doctor puffed on her cigarette, "Yeah, I know. Painful, isn't it?"  
Painful? That was an understatement. This crazy lady had just removed one of Yukiko's kidneys...while she'd been fully awake. She'd already tried every drug on the market, and the cinammon had refused to talk. So, out came the knives.

"Why don't you just talk?" The woman sounded genuinly surprised, "It'd be easier for you."

"My life's not important," Yukiko refused to look at her, "Hoshi and Amaimon's are." She glared at the doctor, "So, come on! Take out_ all_ my organs! I still won't talk!"

The woman sighed and injected something in Yukiko's arm, "Maybe tomorrow. For now, sleep."

Before Yukiko could protest, her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell asleep. Before she lost consciousness, though, she heard her torturer speak to Dr. Delaney.

"She's still not talking. I really don't think this is going anywhere. She'd rather end up in a vegetive state than tattle."  
"...I understand." He dialled somethin in his phone, like an SMS.

"What're you doing?"

"We sent a Malkin to retrieve them and we only got one." Dr. Delaney explained, "So we're sending _humans_ this time to pick up Hoshi."  
"What about the pale kid with the green hair?"  
"Him? No. Our tests say that he has two demonic parents instead of one. I don't want to end up eaten alive."

"How many'd you send?"

"Three."

_Amaimon...Hoshi..._Yukiko thought,_ Please...be safe._


	21. Chapter 21

**Please review! I didn't want this to be too long, so it's gonna be divided in three chapters. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21: Bloodstained Hands Part 1

That night, Amaimon experienced maybe the worst sleep in his entire life. He grabbed the dark green blanket and hugged it to his chest, then threw it aside a second later. Sweat beaded his pale face as his dream set into motion.

_All of a sudden, he was flying. Amaimon could feel the cold, dry wind fill his nostrils and mouth as he glided through the pearly, puffy clouds. His green-blue eyes widened at the sight. He definately wasn't in Gehenna. The sky there was** never** this beautiful._

_Before he could get too caught up in the beauty, he spotted a large white building. His fists clenched at the sight of it. It was the clinic._

_He hovered towards it and landed smoothly. Amaimon looked around, listening for something, anything. A scream made him look down. A window was open._

_The Earth King had to suppress a squeal of delight. He scuttled towards it and poked his head in._

_His joy faded as soon as it'd come._

_Yukiko was strapped to a bed. Her eyes were ringed with exhaustion, and her baggy shirt was pulled up to just below her breasts. A female doctor with dark blonde hair had her back turned to Amaimon, so he couldn't see her. The doctor puffed on her cigarette, "I really wish you'd cooperate. This isn't any fun for me, either."_

Amaimon froze. He knew that voice. He'd heard it that day in the forest, sitting in a tree eating candy.

_Kilubi._

_"Bullshit," Yukiko turned to the doctor, "You **love** doing this. Don't think you can fool me. I saw you smile when you cut me open."  
Amaimon felt the anger rising. Kilubi had done **what?**_

_Kilubi shrugged, "Maybe you're right. Anyway, Dr. Delaney said I can try one more time. But it won't be of much use. We already sent three spies to get your 'sister' back."_

_"Why're you interested in her?" Yukiko asked, "You have a dozen half-demons. Why do you need her?"_

_"Because she hasn't been rehabilitated." Kilubi said, "She'll wreck havoc if we leave her be. She **is** a monster after all. The last child of Iblis burned down an entire city before we could rehabilitate him. Ever heard of the Sri Krishna Aided Higher Secondary School fire? Back in 2004. Ninety-four people were killed."_

_"The only monster I see here is you." Yukiko whispered. The doctor shrugged, "Oh, well." She tapped her chin in thought, "What should I remove today? An eyeball? Your leg? Your nose?"_

_Amaimon tried to lunge at her, but all of a sudden, he couldn't move. Kilubi grinned, "Oh, I know. I'll remove your stomach."  
Yukiko's chocolate-brown eyes widened. She tugged against her bonds, but it was useless. Kilubi chuckled, "Don't worry. You can still live without your stomach. Once I'm done, I'll connect the esophagus to your small intestine."  
She grinned and went to her toolbox. She pulled out a small, slender knife._

_Amaimon wanted to move so badly, but he couldn't. He could only watch as Yukiko screamed in pain, tears streaming down her light brown cheeks. Kilubi ignored her and did her job thoroughly. She placed Yukiko's stomach in a silver container. The Earth King was sure his heart would break there and then. Blood sprinkled Kilubi's clothes and face, but she smiled happily and wiped her hands with a rag._

_"That was fun," Kilubi said, "But I suppose you're still not talking, right?"_

_"NO!" Yukiko didn't sound in pain here. She sounded furious. Kilubi shrugged, "Whatever. I guess the spies will have to track Hoshi down instead."_  
_Amaimon hung there, staring at the scene with tearful eyes. Then, he slapped his claw over his mouth._

* * *

Amaimon bolted out of bed and grabbed a trash can filled with his candy wrappers. He vomited, horrible gutteral noises escaping with his dinner. All the lights switched on, and Mephisto rushed in. He tied the rope on his pink robe and looked at his brother. When he saw him puking his heart out, Mephisto sighed, "Brother, I_ told_ you not to eat over half your stash!"

"It's-not-that!" Amaimon managed through rivers of barf. When his stomach was empty, he panted and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Mephisto folded his arms, "What'd you do, watch _The Exorcist_ again? That movie gives you nightmares!"  
"I didn't watch the fucking movie!" Amaimon yelled. Tears sprang in his eyes, and his voice cracked, "I had a vision."

Mephisto paled. Demons often had visions of either things that were about to happen, had happened recently, or was currently happening. Usually, they involved blood and gore. Judging by Amaimon's expression, this one _definately_ involved gore.

"I saw Yukiko," Amaimon wiped his eyes, "I'd guess it happened a few hours ago. But that crazy doctor...she...she..." He hid his face in his claws and started crying. His shoulders shoook violently. Mephisto's expression softened. He'd never seen his brother shed tears before. Normally, if something upset him, he released his raw emotions by killing random, anonymous people, usually realters or business people. But now...the Earth King looked like a scared little boy.

"Hey..." Mephisto hesitated before putting a hand on Amaimon's shoulder, "What did you see? Talking about it usually helps."  
"Not this time," Amaimon sniffed and wiped his leaking nose, "That insane doctor wanted Yukiko to reveal where Hoshi is. But she refused to talk, so she..." Tears filled his eyes as he continued, "She removed Yukiko's stomach while she was still awake."  
Mephisto wasn't as pale as his brother, but now he looked like a corpse. He said nothing, but he squeezed Amaimon's shoulder.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll save her. I promise you that." He said firmly. Amaimon only nodded miserably, not looking at his brother. Mephisto rose and started to leave, then turned back to Amaimon, "Little brother."  
Amaimon sniffed, "Yes?"

"I doubt you'd be crying like this for just anyone." Mephisto said, "Tell me: what are your feelings towards this Yukiko Bundō?"

That question took the Earth King by surprise. He honestly didn't know what to answer. These feelings were so new to him. How could he explain them to his brother when he could barely explain them to himself?

"While I am not sure of the extent of my relationship with Yukiko, her happiness and well-being are very important to me."


	22. Chapter 22

**Please review! Warning! This is bloody! Oh, btw, I think this'll be 2 parts instead of three. So the next chapter is 22. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21: Bloodstained Hands Part 2

Three spies entered the silk factory. Their names were Chip Donovan, Macy Miller, and Rhonda Delaney, Dr. Delaney's younger sister. They were dressed in black camouflage and had guns that weighed almost as much as monster truck wheels. Even with their weapons, the three adults didn't like it here. It was pitch-black inside, and the only sounds were the echos of their footsteps. The whole place gave off a hostile aura.

"Are you sure Hoshi Tanaka's here?" Rhonda asked, her honey-brown eyes darting from left to right.

"Yep." Chip nodded, holding up a small machine. It looked like a GPS; it had three green dots grouped next to each other several inches from an orange dot. "This thing has all of our hairs in it. That way, it'll know where we are 24/7. And thanks to Hoshi's haircut when she first got to the clinic, we have her DNA on the machine, too. The only problem is, this machine's not too accurate with geography, so she could be anywhere here. All we know for sure is that she's in this factory."

"Thanks for the exciting lecture," Macy rolled her teal eyes, "Now let's get to work. Rhonda, you and Chip go to the west wing. I'll go the east one. We meet back here in twenty minutes, and if we find her, we give each other a call. And if none of us find her, we go upstairs." She held up her walkie-talkie, "Everybody got one?"  
"Yep." Chip patted his belt.

"Right here." Rhonda held hers up.

"Good."

With a 'Break!', the trio split up. Twenty feet above their heads, a lean figure crouched on a metal pipe. A large hobgoblin growled softly next to it. The figure patted its familiar's head as a slow smile appeared on its face.

* * *

"What I don't get is," Rhonda said as they walked down the hallway, "Is why Tanaka would come here. I mean, with her sister gone, I doubt she'd be looking for new silk pants."

Chip chuckled and ran a hand through his strawberry-blonde hair, "Well, according to the personality files your brother keeps of her, Tanaka's a tough cookie. She knows how to stay hidden. When you live in the streets for seven years, you pick up some skills."  
"Yeah, well, I hope she's tougher than that wimp sister of hers." Rhonda said, tucking a black lock behind her ear, "When Kilubi cut her stomach out, we could hear her screaming from the ground floor. Plus, she tried to get away seven times since she came in here. I don't see why my brother doesn't just put her out of her misery.

"Well, Dr. Delaney thinks that she can be bait. Man," Chip chuckled, "You should see those girls together. They're like fucking lesbians."

Chip felt someone breathe on his neck. He turned, but there was no one there. He frowned and looked at Rhonda, who was loading her machine gun.

"Was that you?" He asked.

"Huh?" Rhonda frowned and looked quizzically at her friend.

"Did you breathe on my neck a second ago?"

"Uh, no."

"Rhonda, this ain't funny." Chip lost his paitence.

"It wasn't me!" Rhonda lost hers, too.

Whispers shut them up. The two looked at each other as whispers filled the air, followed by giggles. At first, they thought it was a group of people, but as the whispers grew louder, Chip and Rhonda realized it was one voice. Male, probably. Too deep to be a girl's voice. But that wasn't what scared them: it was what the whispers said, which became clearer and clearer as the volume rose.

_"Poison, drowning, burning, knives._  
_So many ways to take your lives."_

Chip held up his gun, "Whoever this is, show yourself!"

Something landed with a loud THUMP behind them. Rhonda and Chip whirled around, locking eyes with a hobgoblin the size of a van.

* * *

Macy heard her companions before she saw them. They were practically screaming the house down. The woman turned around, tying her ash-brown hair in a ponytail. Two figures raced towards her, their guns swinging in their sides.

Macy sighed and raised her voice, "This better be g-ouf!"

Rhonda cut her off by toppling on top of her. Her eyes were frantic, "Macy, we have to go! We have to go _NOW_!" The brunett gripped her companion's shoulders, "Delaney, calm down-"  
"Listen to me!" Rhonda was all but hysterical, "There's a hobgoblin here! We tried to shoot it, but it was too fast!" Macy then noticed that Rhonda's temple was bleeding badly, and her black hair was suddenly shorter than it'd been earlier.

The giggles rose out of the mist, silencing them all. They looked around frantically as the voice sang again,

_"Poison, drowning, burning, knives._

_So many ways to take your lives."_

Something landed on its feet right in front of them. They turned to see a humanoid figure. In the gloom, it was hard to tell, but it seemed to have the head, chest, shoulders, and legs of a human. But the rest was most definately **_not_** human. It had a long, alligator-like tail and arms that Baywatch men would envy. Even though they couldn't see its eyes, they could feel the thing watching them.

It grinned. Its sharp teeth shone in the dim light, "Trick or treat."

Chip thought quickly and shot at it. The bullet hit the figure, then bounced off harmlessly. It didn't even take a step back.

The creature held up its claws, then pricked its own finger. That way, the trio could imagine what their own blood would look like.

Rhonda, Macy, and Chip shrieked and ran up the stairs. They didn't hear footsteps behind them, but they still raced as fast as their legs could carry them.

When they reached the first floor, they ran towards the nearest exit. A vine coiled itself around Rhonda's backpack. She fell on her back with a grunt.

"Delaney!" Macy turned to the black-haired girl, her eyes wide. Rhonda didn't have time to react; the vine started pulling her back down the stairs. Rhonda let out a chain of shrieks and reached wildly for Chip and Macy, "_Help me! Help me please!_"  
Her screams continued as she was dragged down the stairs.

Then they were cut off by the creature's chuckles of glee and crushing noises.

Chip started towards her, but Macy grabbed his arm, "Ya wanna end up that way, too?" The man choked back a sob and allowed his companion to yank him through the doorway.

They made it to the back exit. Seeing it was like being witness to a miracle. They weren't that far off.

Macy grinned, "Come on!"

The ground under their feet shook violently. Spiderweb designs appeared in the concrete. Macy gripped the pipes planted in the wall, and Chip clung to her arm with an iron-like grip. They stood there panting for a minute. Then, the ground rumbled again. This time, the broken chunks of earth formed huge, powerful hands. They made wild grabs for the adults. Chip shot them with his gun. They exploded into powder when the bullets hit them, but that was no problem. More hands kept coming. It was like fighting the Hydra.

One hand grabbed Chip's ankle. The man yelled and tried to kick it off, but four more caught him: his arms and torso. "MACY!" He screamed. The teal-eyed woman turned just in time to see Chip yelling and disappearing in the fissure.

Macy's face was the color of chalk. "Forget Tanaka." She whispered to herself.

She bolted out of the factory.

* * *

Amaimon licked his dripping claws, trying not to make noises of joy. It'd been a long time since he'd feasted on human flesh. Ever since he met Hoshi and Yukiko, the urge to kill humans had passed. Being with them made him forget that part of him. He could almost pass for human.

But not now. Not when he'd heard those two insult Yukiko. They deserved to be punished.

Aniue would be angry with him. He'd sent the Earth King to locate the spies, not kill them. The plan had been to hold them hostage and demand a trade: Dr. Delaney's pesky little sister for Hoshi's brave, caring one.

Oh, well. He'd given those jerks what they deserved.

He thought this over as he sat on the factory roof, stroking Behemoth. His hobgoblin had enjoyed eating what was left of Rhonda and Chip. Its burps said so.

Noises pulled the Earth King back to reality. His green-blue eyes darted to the fence leading to the parking lot. Someone was climbing over it. A black van was parking several feet away, the headlights on. The same guards who'd chased him, Hoshi, and Yukiko some nights ago stepped out.

Amaimon's eyes narrowed. He crept towards the edge, then jumped. He landed on his feet.

Macy looked over her shoulder, her teal eyes locking with Amaimon's green-blue ones. Her face paled, and she climbed to the edge. She yelled at the van, "Guys! I'm here!"  
The woman laughed coyly and turned to the demon, "Take this, dumbass! I'm saved!"

Her voice and expression grew smug. She held up what looked like a remote controller, "If you touch me, my finger will still twitch. Then, your scarred little slut, Tanaka's sister, will be terminated!"

Images flashed across Amaimon's mind. He remembered Yukiko giving him her lunch, protecting him during Sports Day, singing him a lullaby, and dancing with him. Those sweet moments contrasted the last time he'd seen her: bleeding and unable to walk, totally at the Malkin's mercy.

Growls escaped his throat.

The guards heard a horrible roar cut through the night air. Something flew towards them; they just barely dodged the entire metal fence sailing through the air. It slammed into the van, which erupted into flames.

The guards shared a look before turning back to the now-open area. The dust made it hard to see, but they heard Macy actually beg, "Wait! W-w-wait, King Amaimon!" Her voice grew high with panic, "**_HELP ME!_**-"

Her scream turned to a tortured gurgle.

One guard held his gun up and raised his voice, "Get away from...huh?" As the dust cleared, the area was empty. Macy was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Amaimon. The only evidence of the past few seconds was the ocean of blood on the ground.


	23. Chapter 23

**Please review! Sorry for the long wait! Internet problems.**

* * *

Chapter 22 Crashing In

"All three of them are dead." Kilubi said as Macy's dot vanished from the screen. Dr. Delaney didn't speak; he just studied his coffee. The blonde woman's lips became a thin line, and she glanced at Yukiko. The teenager was suffering from anemia at the moment; all that blood had put her in such a deep sleep, even a bomb wouldn't wake her up.

And just like that, it hit her. The perfect way to capture Hoshi Tanaka, maybe one of the most powerful half-demons living.

"Boss," She put a hand on Dr. Delaney's shoulder and gave it a strong squeeze, "I know how to get Hoshi."

Dr. Delaney looked at her with less than enthusiasm, urging her to continue.

"Knowing Hoshi, she'll go for the first chance to rescue Yukiko. Therefore, we'll have the television stations broadcast that Yukiko is dying. When she's in a state like this one, it'll be easy to believe. Hoshi will come running here, and we'll capture her. Simple as that."

"Actually, no." Dr. Delaney said, "The Earth King Amaimon killed Chip, Macy...my sister..." He cleared his throat and continued, "If I doubted it before, I don't know. Cornelius Faust is Amaimon." He locked eyes with Kilubi, "He cares for Yukiko almost as much as Hoshi. If he didn't, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly when Macy threatened to acknowledge us of his presence, therefore ensuring Yukiko's death. I say let him come here. We'll lock him up and wait for Hoshi." His eyes narrowed, "If we kill him, Satan would have our heads. But I _do_ want to make him suffer." His eyes gleamed with tears, "For Rhonda."

* * *

"That rotten little bastard!" Hoshi was yelling at the top of her lungs. Mephisto continued to calmly drink his tea as the sixteen-year-old continued to rant. If he hadn't replaced everything in his office with fireproof material, they would've been in serious trouble. "He's worst than an un-castrated cat! First, he chops my hair off, then he runs off to God knows where! Jesus Christ, what the hell's going through his head?"

"He wants to save Yukiko." Mephisto said calmly as he dropped some sugar in his tea, "He cut your hair in order to lure the spies out in the open. Then, he did away with them."

"But how'd he know about them?" Even with her hair cut in a messy, uneven bobcut, Hoshi still managed to look intimidating.

"Because," Mephisto gave her a smug look, "We full demons have the ability to see things that have already happened, are currently happened, or will soon occur. Amaimon witnessed Yukiko experiencing extreme pain and decided to save the damsel in distress."

"Yukiko **_is not_ **a damsel in distress," Hoshi spat out the words like they were poisonous, "She's stronger than you and Booby Babe combined. Remember that."

"Of course," Mephisto purred, "Now that that's out of the way, how about we go save my brother and your sister before they end up in even _deeper_trouble?"

"That's hard," Hoshi muttered, "But fine. Okay."

"Excellent." Mephisto rose and clipped on his long white robe. Then, he gracefully placed his white, wide-brimmed hat on his head. "Now, let's go summon Miss Kirigakure. Though you claim that your sister is stronger than she is, Miss Kirigakure has the swords skills of a knight."

* * *

"Now you're just being stupid, guys!" Kilubi said to the armed clinic staff, "Of course the Earth King's gonna show up! Why else do you think we went through all this trouble? For fun?" She laughed alone, "Anyway, remember: the second you see him, shoot him with tranqulizer darts. The more that hit him, the better." She chuckled and rubbed her hands together, "Besides, the sooner he's out, the sooner I operate."

Right on cue, the ground began to rumble. Kilubi was immediately uneasy. She and Dr. Delaney hadn't calculated this: they'd expected the Earth King to crash through the wall, or break in a window. But before her very eyes, the ground burst open like a pie crust. The impact sent her (and everyone else) flying across the room. The walls cracked like paper.

Behemoth, now the size of a monster struck, burst from the ground. Amaimon, still in partial-demon form, hopped from its head and locked eyes with Dr. Delaney, "**_DELANEY_**!" He shrieked, his green-blue eyes wild.

Dr. Delaney actually felt a twinge of fear...and disgust. Amaimon's clothes and face were covered in blood. Some of it, he realized, was his sister's. The fear faded: rage took its place.

"Shoot him!" He yelled, "I'll fire you if you don't!"

Everyone reluctantly raised their guns, but Amaimon was too fast. "**_DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU FUCKERS!_**" He screamed. There was a huge wave of energy, like electromagnetic waves working on overdrive. Before anyone could blink, the cracked earth formed ropes and started coiling around anyone in their range. Amaimon smiled wickedly and began to dance as blood and tortured screams washed over him. One male nurse, who'd been guarding Yukiko, panicked and grabbed her by the sweatshirt hood. He held her in a headlock, the gun aimed for her temple, "Stop now, or I'll shoot!"

Amaimon, now coated from head to tail in bright red blood, eyed the male nurse. "Hmm?" He barely whispered. Before the guy could blink, Amaimon swung his tail across his head, sending him face-first out the window. His grip on Yukiko loosened, thank goodness. As she fell, the Earth King swooped in and caught her bridal style. He widened the distance between him and Dr. Delaney.

Amaimon looked down at Yukiko's sleeping face, and the burning wrath within him faltered. "Yuki..." He whispered, stroking her light brown cheek, leaving a wet trail of red. He whispered and cooed in her ear as he gently lay her back down on the table. He used her hood to make a cushion for her head. It was amazing how he could switch from a sadistic, bloodthirsty killer to a kind, sweet soul in so little time.

Dr. Delaney grunted, "Don't think I'll let you leave this place, Amaimon."

Killer Amaimon was back. "Now, then," He turned to the old doctor, "Time for you to join your sister."

The energy, the pure fury and hatred deep within his being, broke free with his cry, "**_YOU BASTARD!_**"

* * *

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Hoshi complained as she crossed her legs. She pouted and stared out the window of Mephisto's pink limousine.

"Couldn't agree with ya more, Fire Girl." Shura said as her legs swung up and down, "Mephy's a lotta things, but he ain't a speed freak." She frowned, "Dammit."

Mephisto chuckled and pulled out a pocketwatch from his breast pocket, "Well, ladies, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that we will be arriving right about..."

Amaimon's roar made the redhead and the muscular girl jump in their seats.

"...Now." Mephisto finished with a smile.

Shura sighed in exasperation as Hoshi opened the car door, rushing out. The redhead flipped Mephisto off before following the Japanese girl. Mephisto watched them go with an amused smile, "Oh, little brother. You definately have our father's temper." Then, he called, "Driver? You may stop here. I'll call you once we're finished."

"R-right, sir." The driver was clutching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, but he nodded. Mephisto nodded and made his way out.

In the trunk, four children shifted restlessly.

"Ow! Hey, Hama! That's my foot!"

"Whoops! Sorry, Greg!"

"What're we even doing here? Are we sure Shura came?"

"Of course! I saw her get in this limo!"

"Oh-kay, um...let's roll!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Please review! Hope you enjoy! Yes, I know it's similar to Ao No Exorcist Ep. 16. I'll mention that later.**

* * *

Chapter 23: Embrace of Tranquility

Hoshi would never forget the screams of pain ringing through the air. Not as long as she lived. There were so many, she couldn't tell whose was Yukiko's or Amaimon's, but those she could make out glued themselves to her mind's ear. One sounded like a young man letting out a long yell, then being silenced through some kind of squishing noise. Hoshi imagined something crushing his head like a melon. She heard the sound of skin being torn from bone, which sent waves of nausea down her belly. Another scream was simply a woman begging for mercy as some organ of hers was yanked out.

Shura heard all that, too. It took all her willpower not to vomit. Hoshi bit her lip against the nausea as her short hair lengthened into six-foot-long fire whips. The redhead watched with wide eyes as Hoshi whipped at the main entrance. In three furious lashes, the door broke in two burning chunks of wood. Shura grabbed a handful of Hoshi's yellow jacket, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do ya think yer goin'?"

"Where do you think?" Hoshi replied, her eyes blazing, "I'm going to save my sister and kick Amaimon's ass for cutting my hair."

"I don't think so," Shura cracked a smile and held up her sword, "Not wit'out me."

Hoshi looked shocked for a minute. Honestly, she'd expected the swordswoman to try to stop her. She wasn't used to trusting anyone but Yukiko. But now, the Japanese girl felt a slow smile forming on her face.

The two ran in at the same time.

They were greeted by Amaimon tearing a nurse's throat out, his back to them. Hoshi froze; she'd never seen him like this. He'd always seemed so...kind. Human-like. But now, he looked viscious.  
Still, it was still the boy she'd spent two weeks with, right?

"Hey, Spinach Boy," She called softly, stepping towards him with a small smile. When the Earth King looked at her, though, her smile vanished. Hoshi didn't see any of the gentleness she'd expected to see: that she'd only seen the night before. In those green-blue eyes, the muscular girl saw nothing but bloodlust and aggressive playtime that involved _breaking_ the toys. In all senses of the phrase.

For the first time, Amaimon..._scared_ her.

The Earth King kept snarling at her before turning to Kilubi. Hoshi snapped out of the horrid gaze she'd been in and looked around for her sister.

There! Yukiko was lying peacefully on a plastic white table. With her stillness and sound face, she could've been the next Sleeping Beauty. Well, minus the rumpled clothes, wild hair, and stripe of blood on her cheek. Without another word, Hoshi darted towards Yukiko. Shura hadn't exactly been charmed by Amaimon's appearance either, so she was only too happy to follow the Japanese girl to her sister.

"Yukiko! Yuki..." Hoshi's eyes filled with tears as she cradled Yukiko's head in her hands. Shura put a hand on Hoshi's shoulder and pressed two fingers on the side of Yukiko's neck. She managed a tiny smile, "She's unconscious, but she's okay."  
Hoshi looked at the redhead hopefully.

Shura smiled and ruffled Hoshi's hair, "Let's get her out of here."

A scream made them both turn around.

Amaimon grinned wickedly and held his claw in the air; his other one was tangled in Kilubi's long, dark blonde hair. The Earth King bellowed with laughter, and his claw sank in Kilubi's throat. The two girls watched with wide eyes as Amaimon stabbed Kilubi in the throat seven times, then decapitated her. Once it came loose, Amaimon started cackling insanely and tossed the bleeding corpse away.

"Hey, guys!" He screamed, his eyes darting to the torn-up corpses strewn all over the floor, "You should thank me for letting you die so beautifully!" He threw his head back and laughed wildly, his shoulders shaking.

Hoshi was so shocked, for a minute she forgot she was holding Yukiko. Then, the cinammon-blonde stirred in her grip. The black-haired girl looked at Yukiko, "Yuki? Are you okay?"  
Yukiko moaned something about fucking crazy doctors and glanced lazily around. When she was the green-haired demon chortling hysterically with Kilubi's severed head in his claw, her chocolate-brown eyes widened. At that moment, Hoshi hated Amaimon for putting Yukiko through a pain this.

"Amaimon...is that...Amaimon?" Yukiko whispered it, like she still hoped it could be someone else.

Shura's lip became a thin line. She patted Yukiko roughly, "C'mon, blondie. We gotta getcha to a hospital..."

Yukiko bolted out of Hoshi's arms and started towards Amaimon. Hoshi thought quickly and grabbed her sister's sleeve, "Did they take your brain out or something? He'll skewer you if you go near him!"  
"No," Yukiko said firmly, "He won't."

Shura snorted, "Ya must think pretty highly of yerself, then."

"Not in the least." Yukiko said honestly, locking eyes with the swordswoman, "But I remember a certain something the Earth King told me."  
With that, she gently pulled free of her sister's grip and ran towards Amaimon.

Hoshi yelled in exasperation, "If he hurts her, I'll turn him to spinach dip!"

Shura smirked, "I'll try it with crackers."

"Amaimon!" Yukiko ran towards the Earth King, who'd started to feed pieces of nurses to Behemoth. When he saw Yukiko, his gaze softened slightly, but not enough to leave her reassured.

The cinnamon-blonde wisely stopped when there were seven feet between them. She held her hands up, "Easy..." Amaimon snarled, "Get back!"  
"...No." Yukiko said bluntly, slowly making her way towards him. She remembered doing something like this, very much like this, with Hoshi. That fateful night seven years ago when they'd 'fought' for a spot.

"Amaimon, I know you're driven by hatred and the need for revenge," Yukiko said, "Anyone in your position would react in a similar fashion. But coming here and butchering everyone in your sight won't change what happened."

"You think I don't know that?" Amaimon spat. He waved Kilubi's head at the room, splattering the floor with blood, "I'm doing what's right! That's what demons do: wreck havoc and destruction in the name of the damned! You'll do well to remember that, girlie."

"That's not you talking," Yukiko tried to sound calm, even if it killed her to hear him talk like that, "I may not know you as well as your brother, but I _do_ know this: you're **_not_** a monster."

Amaimon stopped. For one blissful, relieved moment, Hoshi thought he'd snap out of it and go back to being the nice guy she knew.

Then, he roared and ran towards Yukiko, his claws raised in the air.

"**_YUKIKO!_**" Hoshi screamed, a pure shriek drenched in fear. Yukiko's face paled, but she stood her ground. Shura couldn't help admire her courage: the girl was scared out of her mind, but she wasn't backing down.

"Amaimon..." Yukiko took a deep breath and ran towards the Earth King. Shura held her sword high over her head, ready to attack.

The cinnamon-blonde wrapped her arms around Amaimon, burying her face in his soiled, bloody shirt. Hoshi groaned and face-palmed. _No way_ was that going to work. It wasn't a fucking Disney movie.

"Holy..."  
Hoshi looked through her fingers. Shura stood there with a dropped jaw and wide eyes.

Amaimon, the guy who'd made Freddy Krueger look like Santa, was actually _hesitating_. He stood there with wide eyes. He twitched slightly, and he dropped Kilubi's head. Before the girls' eyes, his huge, scaly tail reverted back to being a thin, dark green tail. His horns shrank back in his skull, and his ears went back to normal.

"Y...uki...k...o..." He whispered, his green-blue eyes filling with tears. Yukiko smiled in his shirt, "It's okay. That's enough."

Amaimon sighed and went limp in her grasp. She winced at the weight she was putting on her bad foot. Yukiko staggered and glanced at Hoshi and Shura, "A little help here, please!"

Hoshi grinned, and her fire whips appeared, "No problem."

The whips shifted through the heavy damp air and coiled around Amaimon. Yukiko kept a firm grip on his hand the whole time.

Shura grinned and poised her sword on her shoulder, "I gotta say, blondie. I'm impressed. How'd ya do that?"

"Easy." Yukiko grinned tiredly, "Amaimon told me that demons act the way they do because they're expected to be evil. Their anger makes their masks become their true faces. But Amaimon said that when he isn't expected to be sadistic, he doesn't feel the need to be. I just reminded him of that."

Shura arched a dark brow, "...Wow."

"Hello, everyone!" Mephisto strolled in cheerily, his white clothes contrasting the gloom. Shura growled, "Where the hell've _you_ been?"

"Oh, I'm sorry for that," Mephisto said earnestly, "I got drenched by dirty water on my way here, so I went to the cleaner's."

"You WHAT?" Hoshi dropped Amaimon; Shura caught him like he weighed nothing as Hoshi tackled Mephisto. Her strong hands tightened their grip on Mephisto's throat. His face almost matched his hair.

"You're the devil!" She yelled, "You're the bearded devil!"

Despite his purple face, Mephisto blushed and grinned, "Why, thank you!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Please review! Hope you enjoy! Yukio is here, but he's shorter than in Ao No Exorcist because this triology takes place about two years before the events. And yes, 'Rin' means 'cold'. Salual Conwell does not belong to me. He belongs to my friend Damuzachi.**

**And DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! It's done! I hope you'll stay tuned for the sequel! Thank you again for the reviews, guys! I'm so happy you liked it!**

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Chapter 24: Dried Blood and New Missions

Amaimon woke up to Yukiko gently pulling a blanket over his form. In two seconds, he took everything in: he'd been showered and changed in one of Mephisto's (thank God) black nightgowns. His dark green hair had been washed. His wounds had been tended and were almost healed.

Yukiko froze, "Amaimon!" Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. The Earth King felt a blush form on his face; he responded instantly, resting one hand in her washed, curly hair. The other was wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her close. Amaimon smiled softly and breathed in her scent. Apricot and peony. Delicious.

Yukiko cried softly in his shoulder. Alarmed, Amaimon pulled away and wiped her tears away, "What's wrong?"

The cinnamon-blonde laughed a little and looked into his eyes, "Sorry. I guess I'm just a sappy, emotional blonde after all." Her voice grew mournful, "I'm sorry. I was so worried. You weren't moving for two days, and..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Amaimon held his claws in a time-out sign, "I've been out for two days?"

"Yeah." Yukiko nodded, "Mephisto explained that you used up a lot of energy. That's why your body needed time to recover."  
"Aniue...he..." It scared him to even think it, but he had to know, "...He's not sending me back to Gehenna, is he?"

"No," Yukiko smiled in relief, "He said you've done something amazing. Thanks to you, the half-demons of Japan won't have to worry about being locked up like lab rats."

Amaimon's blue-green eyes darted to her man's size dark green, long-sleeved shirt. He imagined all the scars and stitches hidden under there, "Are you okay?"

Yukiko followed his gaze, and for a second, the Earth King was afraid she would start crying again. Then, she met his eyes, "I am now. Thanks to you."

Amaimon chuckled and blushed, running a hand through his hair, "I could say the same thing about you. If it weren't for you and Hoshi, I would've died quite a while ago."  
"Yeah, Hoshi told me." Yukiko laced their fingers together as she spoke, "You draw energy from nature." Her eyes twinkled, "Amazing."

Amaimon was blushing furiously, evident thanks to his alabaster face. He giggled nervously and scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, well...I could say the same about you." His face flushed with shame, "I could've killed you. And I would've. But..." He hung his head, not daring to continue.

He felt Yukiko lightly caress his hand with hers. Amaimon looked up, embarressed by the tears forming. Yukiko smiled gently at him and wiped the unshed tears from the corners of his eyes, "But you didn't. It was the heat of the moment. You weren't yourself. Don't beat yourself up."  
"But..."

"Ssh." Yukiko put a finger on his lips, "It's over."

"Yuki..." Amaimon still couldn't believe it. After being alone for centuries, he'd finally found friends. One of whom was accepting him despite almost dying because of him. At that moment, the Earth King felt that he couldn't part from Yukiko even if he tried. He relied on her; he relied on someone to stop him when he went too far and who helped him out of sticky situations. Besides...even if these feelings were so new to him...Amaimon liked them. He knew that they strengthened whenever Yukiko was around him. It wasn't lust; he'd felt that hundreds of times, and he'd satisfied it. This was...better. Deeper. Stronger.

Without thinking, he rested his hands on her throat, his thumbs resting on her jaw. Yukiko's soft smile vanished, and for a minute, she looked like a trapped hare. But then, she forced herself to calm down as the green-haired boy leaned in. Yukiko inhaled and closed her eyes as his breath traced her lips...

"Hello, hello!" Mephisto burst in the room. Amaimon growled in his throat and pulled away. Yukiko turned the color of a cherry and turned to the purple-haired demon, "What do you want?"

"Just came to check up on my little brother," Mephisto said cheerily, "And wanted to know if you've seen the children anywhere."  
"Children?" Yukiko looked confused for a second, then brightened, "Oh, right! The half-demons! Nope," She shook her head, "Sorry, Mephy. I haven't seen them anywhere."

"Hmm." Mephisto frowned thoughtfully, then shrugged, "Oh, well. I'm sure they'll turn up soon." He said, "Also, I came to announce that Shura, myself, Hoshi, and the True Cross Academy staff will be meeting soon."

"Oh?" Amaimon frowned, "Did something happen?"

"Yes," Mephisto grimaced like he'd just eaten fish guts, "Unfortunately."

Yukiko smiled, "We'll be there."

"I should hope so, Yukiko-chan." Mephisto said, "After you calmed my brother down with that ingenious strategy, your opinion is most valued."  
Yukiko blushed, "Thank you." Amaimon felt a tiny fork of jealousy in his chest.

Mephisto noticed his brother's expression and smirked, "Well, see you in half an hour." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Yukiko turned to Amaimon and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The Earth King tried not to pass out as the cinnamon-blonde rose, "I'll get Hoshi ready. See you later."

"Uh, wait!" Amaimon found his voice just as Yukiko opened the door. The teenage girl looked at him in surprise. The green-haired boy cleared his throat and asked, "About...about what you said before...about me not being a monster..."

Yukiko blinked.

"...Did you really mean that?" He finished nervously. Yukiko smiled, slowly and sweetly. She walked back towards him and gave him another kiss on the cheek, longer this time. She looked into his eyes, "Of course I did."

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Everyone was seated at a large, round table. Yukiko, now changed into a green-and-red striped long-sleeved shirt and baggy jeans, looked at the exorcists before her. She couldn't help a wave of excitement fill her system as her chocolate-brown eyes went from one to the next.

Seated at the head of the table was Mephisto, of course. His purple hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and he wore an impeccable pink suit and white gloves. The nameplate in front of him read: _'Johannes Faust IV'_. He had paperwork spread in front of him, and he looked formal, yet goofy. For the first time, Yukiko could see him being related to Amaimon.

Then, there was a tall guy with a well-defined chin, thick eyebrows, and huge sideburns on both sides of his head. He had short brown hair and an exorcist uniform: white dress shirt and a black coat. His nameplate read: _'Kaoru Tsubaki'_.

Right next to him was a tall, slender man maybe in his fifties, with gray hair and brown eyes hidden behind round spectacles. He was dressed like a priest, but something in his expression made Yukiko feel that he had an immature, joking personality. His nameplate read: '_Shiro Fujimoto'_.

Next was a boy maybe a year or two younger than she was. He was about five and a half feet tall, with fair skin, moles on his face, and short brown hair. He had beautiful sapphire eyes framed with glasses and, like Tsubaki, he wore an exorcist uniform. His nameplate read: _'Yukio Okumura'_. Yukiko couldn't help smile to herself: their names were almost alike.

Now, Yukiko was looking at people she actually knew. Shura was as bored-looking and underdressed as ever. She wore a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a (very revealing) bikini top underneath it. She had her boots propped on the table while munching on some herbal cookies. Yukiko couldn't help admire Shura. She had the confidence to dress like that without feeling exposed. She couldn't care less what others thought of her, while Yukiko didn't even have the self-confidence to even expose her heavily-scarred arms.

Hoshi sat next to Yukiko, of course. She didn't care for sitting next to 'a black-robed moron'. The muscular girl had somehow gotten her hands on a hairdresser and some hair dye, because now, her black hair was cut in a spiky pixie style, and each tip was dyed red, orange, or yellow. She wore an orange T-shirt, a black vest, and blue jeans decorated with yellow stars.

Amaimon sat on her other side, keeping a firm grip on her hand the whole time. No matter what happened, Yukiko felt safe with him and Hoshi here.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming here on such short notice." Mephisto said, "Now, as my brother and lovely new friends," He gestured to Hoshi and Yukiko with a genuine smile, "Can confirm, half-demons have begun to be viewed upon as extremely dangerous beings. A company called 'Demonic Genesis' was formed a few decades ago with the purpose of finding half-demons, usually found in the streets, and 'rehabilitating' them. If the subject's demonic genes are removed, they become easier to have in society. The guinea pig is also paid a fortune to keep the secret. But if a subject is not successfully rehabilitated, he or she is terminated in a 'humane' way."

The exorcists began to talk uneasily amongst themselves. Maybe it was Yukiko's imagination, but she heard Yukio whisper 'Rin' to Shiro.

'Rin'? She'd heard that name often enough. It was a unisex name that meant 'cold'. Was it someone they knew? It had to be, because Shiro was paling and silencing Yukio.

Yukiko shook it off as Mephisto continued, "My brother managed to put the one here in Japan out of business. But what my people managed to find out is: there are more."

"More?" The word was a surprised, panicked yelp. Amaimon's grip on Yukiko's hand tightened. The cinnamon-blonde leaned forward and whispered soothing words in his pointy ear. The green-haired boy calmed down a little and smiled gratefully at her.

"We have to put a stop to it." Shiro said firmly, "These half-demons can be dangerous, true. But they don't deserve to be subjects to experiments like animals. I know some half-demons myself," His eyes darted at Yukio, "And they are harmless."

Mephisto grinned, "I couldn't agree more, Fujimoto-san. This is why I want to assign special agents to work undercover. These Demonic Genesis clinics are dotted across the globe. The only way to truly get rid of them for good is to destroy the headquarters. At the moment, we don't know where that it. But a very good agent of mine, Salual Conwell, is working on finding it. But it may take some time."

"We can't wait, sir." Tsubaki said, "We have to put a stop to it immediately! Ladies," He turned to Hoshi and Yukiko, "What exactly goes on in those places."

Hoshi felt her guard go up as the memories presented themselves, "Well, they said they wanted to help us. They told us we had physical or mental problems. We were taken care of medically, but we couldn't leave unless it was Sports Day. Whenever one of us was taken in," Her face darkened, "He never came out."

Yukio's expression softened, "I am sorry you went through such barbarism, Miss Tanaka."

"Yeah, well," Hoshi shrugged, "That's life, right?"

Yukio nodded sadly. Mephisto spoke up, "I believe the wisest choice would be for agents to work undercover. I send a handful of agents in the general location of each clinic. They feign injury and are thus taken in. Then, it is their mission to shut down the individual clinic and free the surviving half-demons."

"Sounds like a plan," Tsubaki said, "Where are these clinics located? How many are there?"

"They are located in civil countries. Specifically America, England, Italy, and France. And my people have just concluded how many there are," He paused for effect, "Twelve."

"Twelve?" Shura spoke up through mouthfuls of cookie, "That's it?"

"You must consider that these clinics are very large," Amaimon spoke up, "The one I shut down was located in an abandoned hospital. That alone could keep about half a hundred people."

"Great." Shura muttered sarcastically.

Mephisto grinned, "Now, what I need from you people is to send whoever you think will fit the category of a secret agent. They must be minors, mind you. I've already assigned my brother, Tanaka, and Bundō to the team going to England. It takes place in three days' time."

"I see," Shiro nodded, "Alright. I know a few people. I'll see what I can do."

"Yes," Yukio nodded, "I'll join in, too."

Shiro looked doubtful, but he nodded once.

Hoshi grinned and leaned towards Yukiko's ear, "Well, sis. Looks like the three of us are off on an adventure."

"Yeah," Yukiko squeezed Amaimon's hand, "We are."

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Dr. Delaney grinned to himself as he leaned against the hospital. He'd made it. He'd survived! While Amaimon had been busy cutting Kilubi's head off, he'd managed to crawl out through a hole in the wall. Now, while everyone he'd worked with was reduced to bloody, shredded remains, he was alive and well.

He felt something tug on his bloody sleeve. Dr. Delaney frowned and turned around. His ecstacy vanished.

Four children stood there, their face obscured from the shadows. He would recognize them anywhere, though. They were, aside from Hoshi and Yukiko, the kids he'd tried to rehabilitate. The ones he'd tried to burn or cut to hide his dirty little secrets.

Hama held up some papers, her expression blank, "We did our homework, Dr. Delaney."

The old man's eyes widened with horror.

His screams echoed through the field as the four half-demon children ripped him apart with their new-found claws and fangs.


End file.
